Ergo
by CassusFacade
Summary: A man awakens in Sword Art Online with no memory. A player with no name, no icon, and no idea what SAO is. A player that, as far as anyone else can see, shouldn't be able to exist. In a hunt for his past, he must fight for survival in the death game of SAO. But even trapped in a game where monsters are everywhere and death is permanent, the biggest danger is other players.
1. Prologue: Awakening

There was the sensation of weightlessness, drifting freely in a void, tumbling. He woke slowly to a chaotic myriad of noises. There was the sound of wind rushing past him, the sound of his clothes flapping and armour plates chattering in the maelstrom. Past these, what he noticed first were the screams. His eyes snapped open as he came to. He was airborne, and he was falling. His voice joined the others as they plummeted downwards. The man flailed his arms, trying to steady his descent, craning his neck to try and search for the source of the other voices.

Below him was a thin, lanky figure, slack and silent. They were falling towards a lake. As he tumbled, he spotted three more figures; a pair of men and one woman. Her long blonde hair was blowing wildly in the wind. Their bodies were covered in strange, glowing red streaks, like grievous wounds bleeding crimson light. Above them he saw the edge of a rapidly receding cliff. The tail of what must have been an immense beast whipped over the side before disappearing from sight.

The voices of the three above him were silenced when their bodies shimmered, then suddenly burst into sparkling blue shards. Barely a moment later, there was nothing left of them. The Man voice was alone, a single screaming shout in the void. He tumbled far enough to see below him again. He saw the lake, rushing up to meet him. The man below him impacted the surface, shattering into the same bizarre shards and polygons.

Out of breath, the Man's shouts ended in a gasping cough. He'd just started to inhale when the breath was forced back from his lungs in a renewed scream of agony as a blinding pain filled his entire being. He spasmed, curling into a ball, and finally, mercifully blacked out before plunging into the water.

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Wet. Everything was wet. He'd finally stopped falling; stopped sinking; stopped drifting. His head was submerged as a wave rolled over him. Again he woke with a start as the wave tried in vain to push to him ever slightly farther onto shore. Coughing and sputtering, the Man opened his eyes once the water receded. He was lying on a beach. He weakly pulled himself forward on his elbows, out of the water and reach of the waves and flopped over onto his back.

_How long have I been out?_ He asked himself.

Another round of ragged coughs prompted him to roll over onto his hands and knees as he retched up a mouthful of brackish water. Once he was confident his lungs were empty he pulled himself to his feet, wiping the sand from his face. In the distance, in the middle of the lake, he could see the cliff. It was a tall plateau high enough that he couldn't see over its lip. A long, winding path connected it to the shore far off to his left.

_I…fell from that?_ The Man tried to remember.

He leaned forward and braced his hands on his knees, catching his breath and trying to sort out his muddled mind. The only sounds besides his own were the steady beat of the waves against the beach. He was alone. Standing to his full height, he turned his head to the right, then the left, looking for anyone else. There was no sign of the others he had seen in the air. His mind finally snapped to at the thought; he recalled how they'd disintegrated. Confused, he shook his head, noticing for the first time something in the edges of his vision. In the upper left of his field of view was a hollow horizontal bar. It was mostly empty, save for a yellow bar inside of it filling it to about a quarter. He reached for it, but whatever it was, it wasn't in front of him. The Man rubbed his eyes, then looked down, then up and around. The odd bar seemed to follow, like it was inside his eyes.

_What is that?_ He closed his eyes. He could still see it.

He shook his head a little more before it dawned on him that the strange object cluttering his vision was the least of his concerns. He looked around again, surveying the area and trying to get his bearings. The Man was standing on a sandy breach that looked to ring around the entire lake. Behind him some distance was a smooth grey stone wall. It extended in all directions; wrapping all the way around the outer perimeter of the beach, all the way to the opposing shore on the other side of the plateau and back. His eyes followed the wall's upwards curve until he was looking straight up. What he'd originally thought was an overcast sky was the ceiling. Everything he could see was in one massive room. Hanging in the center of the ceiling was a softly glowing sphere that illuminated the entire area like moonlight.

_Where the hell am I?_ The room must have been over two kilometers across. _Am I underground?_

With those questions asked, more followed. The Man felt a growing sense of unease in the pit of his being. Starting to panic, he started searching around again, finding nothing.

_What is this place?_ The Man clutched at his head, starting to pace. _The last thing I remember…is falling off that cliff. No…just falling. Think. Think think think. Think! Why was I up there? What knocked me off? The hell happened to those people?!_

It was at this moment the Man came to uncomfortable realization. He didn't know much of anything, including the Man's name. Still weak, he dropped to his knees. He took another irritated swipe at the phantom bar still hanging in his view.

_Ok, don't panic. _He thought. _Take a deep breath. Take a few. Ok, now think…what have I got on me?_

He looked down at himself. He was wearing what looked like mostly leather armour, with a dull grey breastplate and wrist guards. There was a metal scabbard with no sword on his right hip, and a six inch dagger sheathed handle down under his left collar. On his left side was a pouch with a pair of roughly palm sized crystal bricks. He dug them out, inspecting them curiously. One was blue, and the other was a peach-ish yellow. Both had some metal gilded around the edges in an interesting pattern. He puzzled over them for a moment, but couldn't think of what they might be, and put them back into the pouch.

He patted himself down, but didn't find much of anything else on his front. On his back, his belt had what felt like room for two knives, but only one was present. Pulling the remaining knife out, he saw it was a four inch throwing knife of simple design. Standing back up, he returned the knife to its place.

_I look like I was geared up for a fight. _He looked back down to his empty sheath and felt the missing knife slot on his belt. _Guess I found one. Who was I fighting? Why?_

He looked over his armour again. _Am I some kind of soldier, or something? That doesn't sound right._

Standing in a completely enclosed space, it was impossible to tell whether it was day or night. He was starting to wonder what time it was when he caught site of a display in the bottom left of his vision reading '06:30 pm'. As if to confirm its purpose, the number ticked forward to six thirty one. Like the other bar, it just seemed to exist in his field of view.

_Well that's…convenient. I have a clock in my head. Pretty sure that's not normal._

By this, he could presume that everything floating in his vision had some purpose, but other than the obvious clock, the bar's use still escaped him. The Man had no way of investigating it, and could tell he wasn't going to accomplish much else standing on a barren beach. He started searching along the wall for any sort of exit or destination. The most obvious landmark was the winding path connecting the plateau to the shore. While he couldn't see anything over the lip of the landmass, a vague memory of his glimpse of a monstrous creature on top of it made it a less than appealing destination. He thought he saw something in the wall near the path's beginning. The Man squinted his eyes, spotting a door. With only one real option, he set off towards it.

While walking towards the door, he noticed he'd completely dried, despite not having been out of the water long enough for that to make any sense. It was a confusing, though welcome comfort. Any further thought that might have been put into it was belayed as he neared the door. It was much larger than expected. The sole visible exit was composed of a double door twice his height and three meters across. It was made of redwood, with wrought iron beams framing it. Each door had a hanging iron loop for the handle. The Man reach took hold of one and pulled.

The doors opened inwards. He'd only grabbed one handle, but once pulled, both sides opened on their own. Beyond was a vaulted circular antechamber with openings into three equidistant corridors. Each was a few meters wide and as tall as the door, made of limestone and lined with torches. The corridors stretched far enough ahead of him that he couldn't see the ends of any of them, or where they might lead. The area around him looked like the inside of a castle, but without any windows it was still impossible to tell if he was indoors or underground.

_Great_. He thought. The Man walked into the center of the room, peering down the three paths available to him.

"Hello?" He called out. "Anyone there?"

Only his echo answered. He flinched as the doors closed behind him with a loud report. Without knowing where he was or where any of the corridors led, puzzling over where they might go proved a fruitless endeavor. Getting claustrophobic, The Man took the middle path straight ahead and made his way. Torches were ensconced every few meters on the walls, forming the only visible landmark and gauge of distance in the winding corridor. He came to a fork in the path. Both sides were completely identical. He chose to head right, reasoning that he could always come back and try the left path if he needed to. Twenty minutes and several twists and turns later the Man was no longer sure he could find his way back to the first fork, let alone the door. He stopped at a four way crossroads, somehow even more lost then when he'd first started. For what felt like the fifth time, he desperately searched himself for anything that might be useful in finding his way out of this labyrinth. He opened the pouch on his left, again only greeted by the two crystal bricks. He'd just fastened the clasp back closed when he thought he'd heard something.

The Man held his breath, listening intently for anything. A moment later he heard it again; a footstep. He reeled around, trying to figure out which direction it was coming from. He closed his eyes, letting his ears guide him, and was rewarded with a sense that the footfalls were coming from his left. He turned and started down the corridor.

"Hello?" He called out as he got closer, breaking into a sprint. "Is someone there?"

The footsteps stopped, but nobody answered him. A moment later the footsteps resumed, louder. The Man found this unusual, just starting to feel uneasy about what he was heading towards when the target of his attention rounded the corner directly in front of him. The Man nearly ran right into it before he could stop, surprised. In front of him stood a green skinned lizard easily a head taller than him. It was unclothed, save for a pair of iron bracers and greaves. Clutched in its left hand was a menacingly large cutlass. Hovering over its left shoulder was a bar nearly identical to the one floating in his peripheral vision; partly different because it was full and green. Above its head was a red icon, over the words 'Salamander Soldier'.

The Man slowly started backing away, reaching for his dagger. "H-hello?"

The creature puffed up its chest in a deep breath and let loose a loud screech. It leapt forward, slashing with its sword. The Man stumbled back in a panic, not quite far enough. The tip of the cutlass swept through his chest. He looked down, expecting to see his organs spilling out, but saw a bright red streak where he'd been hit. The bar in his vision emptied by a fraction and turned from yellow to red. The Man continued to step backwards, drawing his dagger, but it was comically small compared to the creature's weapon. With another screech, the lizard advanced and swung again in a downwards chop. The Man sidestepped out of the way, and the blade made a deafening clang against the stone floor. The lizard swept his cutlass at him in a horizontal strike. Without thinking, the Man took a defensive stance and brought his dagger up. Its blade glowed blue, and deflected the beast's strike. After a moment's of feeling completely rigid, he tried backing away again, but his sidestep had placed the wall behind him, which he bumped into in his retreat.

The creature's sword swept left at his head on a return swing, which the Man narrowly managed to duck under. He could feel ground stone silt fall onto him as the sword scratched across the wall behind him. The lizard slapped its tail against the floor, almost as if agitated by its failure to connect its blows, and raised its cutlass in preparation for a savage downwards blow. Before the blade could begin its arc down, the Man sprang forward, driving his shoulder into his opponent in a tackle. The two toppled over together.

The Man recovered first, and leapt on top of his foe, stabbing his dagger into its chest. The creature wailed, but otherwise refused to die. The dagger left the same red marks on it as its sword had left on him; the same marks he'd seen on the others before they'd shattered. The Man withdrew the dagger and stabbed it again, repeating the motion with a frequency spurred by panic. If it weren't for the lizard's wailing, he couldn't tell if he was having any effect on it. Unable to use its oversized sword on him while he was still on top of it, it clawed at him with its off hand. The Man withdrew the dagger from its chest and stabbed to the side, spearing its wrist on the blade. The Salamander Soldier reared its head back, howled and bit him, clamping its jaws onto his shoulder. With a jerk of its neck it threw him off.

He flopped across the floor, losing his grip on his dagger. He could hear it skitter somewhere out of view. The bar in his view emptied to a red sliver and started flashing. The Man had just gotten back to his feet as the creature started advancing on him again. He reached behind him, grabbed his remaining knife, and threw it. It flew forward, straight into the lizard's chest. The creature stopped, shimmered, glowed as if lit from within, and shattered, bursting into gleaming shards. Free from its host, the throwing knife clattered to the ground.

_I'm alive!_ He thought, shaking from the sudden adrenaline rush. He quickly patted himself to make sure he was still whole. _What the hell was that thing?! I need to get out of here!_

He was given pause when there a quieting beeping tone and a translucent flat square panel appeared in front of him. He regarded it curiously; it listed information about XP earned and Col gained, thought didn't do anything to explain what either meant. The Man was still staring at it when it disappeared a moment later.

_What's an XP, or a Col? _He pondered. _Doesn't matter. Wherever I am, it isn't safe and I'm certainly not welcome here. First things first._

He couldn't see where his dagger had slid off to, and found himself really wishing he had a sword to go with his scabbard. The Man was reaching down to retrieve his throwing knife when he heard more footsteps. He looked back over his shoulder; a pair of the Salamander Soldiers rounded a corner of a nearby crossroads, no doubt attracted by the commotion of the fight. An angry hiss announced a third lizard approaching from the other side of the junction.

"Shit." The Man didn't bother backing away, turning and bolting into a full sprint.

With a collective braying screech, the creatures gave chase.

* * *

Author's Notes: I hope you like long fics and OCs, because this is going to be a long fic full of OCs. With that tautology out of the way, I hope you enjoy Ergo. Reviews are welcome and appreciated.

Edit: Came back and touched up my prologue a bit; with my chapters rounding an average of 8-10k words, this felt a touch short, even as a prologue.


	2. Chapter 1: A Trustworthy Figure

The Man pumped his arms and legs as he frantically ran down the corridor as fast as his legs could carry him. His feet skidded along the smooth stone floor as he slowed to make a sharp right turn, followed soon after another left. The same looking walls rushed past, looking identical to every other hallway he'd run through. For all he knew he'd already been down this way. Exploration, however, was not his objective. Judging by the angry hissing and growling coming from behind him, he'd not managed to lose his pursuers. To the contrary, they sounded like they were gaining on him. Hazarding a look over his shoulder, he saw the trio of eight foot tall lizard men chasing after him.

He took another sharp turn, slamming his shoulder into the wall before he took off again. He heard the bulkier creatures behind him crash into the wall, howling as they resumed their pursuit. His turn had placed him into a long corridor leading to the upper level of a large multi leveled room with a spiral staircase descending to the floor below and a railed balcony. In a rush, the Man chose the latter and vaulted over the railing, hoping the floor wouldn't be too far below. After a five meter drop, he landed hard, tumbling forward onto his face. Quickly regaining his footing, he surveyed his surroundings. The room was in the shape of a half circle. In the center of the flat wall in front of him was a wooden double door with red trim. To the left was another open corridor, and to the right a second set of doors with green trim.

The red trimmed door was closest. Wanting to put anything between him and the things trying to kill him, the Man ran for it. He'd just reached it when he heard a screech from above as one of the creatures spotted him from the upper level he'd just jumped from. The door wouldn't open. He looked behind him at the sound of the creatures leaping over the railing and landing with a trio of resounding impacts. Each was a head taller than him, with pale green scales and various mismatched portions of leather armour. Each carried an intimidating large cutlass, with a strange red shape hanging suspended above their heads, over text reading 'Salamander Soldier'. They hissed as one and charged.

The Man tried to open the door with renewed vigour, slamming his shoulder into it, but it wouldn't budge. Out of time, he ducked under a sideways slash by the first creature to reach him that came so close he could hear the blade whistling through the air. He moved left, barely out of the way of a downwards strike by the second. The third creature was between him and the open corridor. With nowhere else to run, the Man made a break for the green trimmed door.

He rammed into it, pushing it open and rushing inside. He ran headlong into a very surprised looking pair of individuals. There was a young woman and a figure covered in a red cloak; most of the face of the latter person was hidden by a black cloth mask. With no time to alter his course he passed by the woman and bowled over her companion. The figure under him let loose a string of expletives and roughly shoved him off.

The salamander soldiers wasted no time in dividing their attention amongst their new targets. The figure in the red cloak was already attacking the lead soldier when the Man was still scrabbling to his feet. From within his cloak he had drawn an exotic sword with a golden blade. Its shape was like a combination of sword, sickle and hook. Blocking his opponent's strike, he followed with a slash that took his blade through the creature, entering at its left shoulder and exiting at its right thigh. On the return swing, he caught the hook behind the lizard's knee, and with a strong jerk, tanked the leg out from under it. The lizard dropped onto its back. A pair of cuts through its throat and its struggle came to an end in an explosion of polygons.

The cloaked figure's companion did not fare nearly so well. She was unarmed, and unarmoured. The monster attacking her slashed at her repeatedly before finishing with a thrust, impaling her. Her cry for help was cut short as she shattered.

The Man took a defensive stance, nervously eying the third, remaining lizard as it advanced on him. With only one available weapon, he threw his knife. It flew straight into the creature's chest, burying itself to the hilt. The creature stopped, looked down at the knife handle jutting from its sternum, and plucked it out. The Man noticed the green bar hovering over its shoulder emptied by a slight fraction. The lizard tossed the projectile aside with a throaty, warbling laugh and sprang forward to attack with a downwards blow. With nothing to block the attack and no time to dodge, the Man charged forward to meet it. He caught the creature's sword arm by the wrist, stopping its strike. Wrenching the arm and sword away to the side, he struck it across the face with a right hook. The salamander made to claw at him with its free hand, but the Man likewise caught that arm, too. The lizard tried to step forward, attempting to force him down, but he managed to stand his ground.

Locked in a stalemate grapple, he could only avoid the lizard's biting jaws when a golden hook grabbed it by its neck. The red clad figure kicked the monster in the back of the leg and pulled on the hook-sword, dropping the screeching monstrosity to the floor, nearly taking the Man with it. Before it could recover a trio of slashed cut through its chest and silenced it. The room was suddenly quiet as the fight came to a close. Another panel appeared in front of each of them listing XP and Col. The red clad figure ignored his, while the Man puzzled over the one near him. After a couple seconds they both vanished.

The figure in red was the first to speak, muttering an angry curse to himself. He gestured to where his companion had died. "Nice job, jackass. I've been on that escort quest for three hours!"

Now that things had finally slowed down, the Man was able to get a better look at the figure he'd collided with. He was wearing a deep maroon cloak that reached down to his calves. Under it he was clad in full lamellar armour coloured burgundy with yellow trim. The sheath for his exotic sword hung on his left hip in front of a dagger. Sheathed on his opposing hip was a short straight sword. His face from the bridge of his nose down was covered by a black cloth facemask which, oddly enough, didn't seem to hamper or muffle his speech at all. His voice had a gruff, grating edge to it. From what he could see of his face, he had sharp features. His hair was unnaturally red; the same colour as his cloak and almost shoulder length. He was a little more than half a foot shorter than the Man, and had sharp features. Above him was a floating orange icon. He did not look happy.

"Listen, I'm really sorry about your friend. I didn't mean to run into you; I was just trying to away from those things." The Man said, starting to feel distinctly unsafe again. "What _were_ they?"

The figure cocked an eyebrow. "My friend? I told you, that was an escort quest; an NPC I was supposed to guide out of here. And those things were the standard mob in this dungeon. Friggin' everywhere. How'd you get this deep and miss 'em?"

He looked like he was about to continue talking but cut himself off. The figure peered over the Man's head like he was just noticing something. The Man followed his gaze, but couldn't tell what he was looking at.

After a moment, the red cloaked man stepped forward, sheathing his sword. "I'm sorry, my name is Devlin. Is there something I can help you with?"

His tone was suddenly friendly, but the words sounded fake, like he as reciting lines from a script. Despite the odd shift, the Man was not about to reject the assistance.

"You said you were escorting that woman out of here. Do you know the way?" He asked. "I woke up on a beach and got lost in here when those creatures attacked me."

"A beach?" Devlin parroted back.

"Yes. There was a lake in this huge room." He clarified. "How big _is_ this place?"

"Plateau in the center?" Devlin added, ignoring the question.

"Yes." The Man replied. "You know it?"

"That'd be the boss room." Devlin said casually, before muttering to himself. "That's an odd spawning location."

The Man didn't know what to make of that last statement. "An odd what?"

"Nothing." Devlin answered dismissively. "Please, continue."

"Like I said, I'm sorry about your friend," The Man started, "but if you're on your way out of here, can you please show me the way? Everything looks the same in here and I have no idea where I am."

"Great, another escort quest." Devlin muttered to himself more than anyone. "Well, back to square one, I guess. Nothing lost."

The Man was about to ask what he meant by that when he continued. "Sure. Suppose you'll want me to take you to town, too?"

"Is there one nearby?" The Man asked, starting to feel hopeful. "Yes, please. Thank you."

There was a long pause while Devlin stood staring at him. "Welcome."

Another long pause. Devlin shifted from one foot to the other before asking expectantly, "And?"

"And?" The Man repeated back.

"And is there anything else you wanted to say?" Devlin waved his right hand in little circles like he was encouraging a small child. "Maybe something about a reward."

The Man patted himself down. "I don't think I have any money."

Even through the mask Devlin's frown was apparent.

"Wait!" The Man reached into the pouch on his side, digging out the pair of crystal bricks. "I have these…things."

Devlin nodded. "You have a deal. Let's go, then."

There was a third long, uncomfortable pause as neither figure moved. The conversation had rapidly turned awkward.

"And?" Devlin again asked.

"And…I don't know where we're going." The Man answered slowly, starting to get confused where this was heading. "You should probably lead."

Devlin paced a few steps back and forth before adding a frustrated "And?"

"What do you want me to say?" The Man asked in exasperation. "Can you help me or not?"

Devlin didn't answer, instead performing a strange wave of his hand in front of himself. A set of flat, light blue panels appeared floating in front of him with a beeping chime. He poked his finger into it a few times, navigating through it.

"Why isn't my quest log updating?" He asked nobody.

The Man stared at the floating panels. They looked much like the ones that had appeared after the fights, but with much more information. "What's that?"

"Yeah, shut up a second." Devlin said without looking away from his panels.

"What is that?" The Man persisted.

"What is what?" Devlin asked, getting annoyed.

"That." He pointed at the object of this attention. "The floating thing. What is that?"

The red clad figure stopped prodding the panels. "You can see this?"

The Man was confused by the reply. "Yeah. I mean, how wouldn't I?"

Devlin pointed at the orange icon hovering over his head, his eyes narrowing. "Can you see this, too?"

He nodded. "I was wondering about those."

Devlin poked the panel and it disappeared. He took a few steps over to him, and without comment, grabbed him around the waist. With a heave of effort, he lifted his feet off the floor.

"What the hell are you doing?" The Man squirmed free, and was shoved over onto his back. Before he could get back up Devlin's hook sword was in hand and pointed at his throat.

The Man was propped up on his elbows, with his hands held up in surrender. "Whoa, there. No need for that."

"You're no NPC." Devlin declared. "Why can't I see your icon? Who are you?"

"I don't know?" The Man started scooting away.

"I'm not falling for that." Devlin spat, keep pace.

"I don't know!" The Man shouted. "I woke up on some beach and got chased here and that's all I remember! I've spent the entirety of the time I can recall trying not to die and would really appreciate it if you would take your God damn sword out of my face!"

A deep, bassy growl reverberated through the corridor.

He slowly pushed the sword away from his throat. "In either case, if you're going to interrogate me, can it be somewhere that isn't here?"

Devlin lifted his sword away. "Fair enough, but try anything and you're a dead man."

He pulled himself to his feet. "You're the one with the sword. Just lead the way."

Devlin gestured to the room that the Man had come in from. He followed the direction and entered back into it, with Devlin following to his left and slightly behind him. They walked over to the red trimmed door that had refused to open before. Devlin approached it, pulling a key from the recesses of his cloak and inserted it into the lock. With a turn, the red trim turned green and the door opened, revealing another identical torch lit stone corridor. Once they'd started down it, Devlin performed the same wave of his hand, summoning the floating screens. Waving through it, he navigated to what looked like a map. He traced his finger along it as he plotted a path to the exit.

"Looks like we should be out in about twenty minutes or so." He stated.

"If you're not going to threaten to kill me again," the Man started, "can I ask what that is?"

"How can you seriously not know what the menu is?" Devlin adopted a bemused expression, or at least what looked like it when he could only see the top half of his face. "You're trying way too hard to fell this amnesia thing. Anyways, seeing how I'm getting you out of here, you can at least do me the courtesy of telling me your name."

"I…don't know." The Man thought hard, but no answers came. "I'm not lying. I can't remember anything before today."

"And you don't know what this is." Devlin stated more than asked, pointing up at the orange icon above him.

"No." He confirmed.

Devlin looked momentarily pleased by this. "Ok, here's an easy one; what is SAO?"

The Man stared blankly as he pondered what he at least assumed was an acronym for something. When he said nothing, his guide continued.

"Sword Art Online?" He clarified. The Man still had no answer. "Wow. Ok, how about telling me what you _do_ know. I get the feeling that'll be the shorter list."

The Man spent the next several minutes recounting his short tale of everything that had happened up until he'd run into the red clad figure and his late escort. He answered a couple questions or gave clarifications whenever Devlin asked about his story, but for the most part his guide listened silently. The trip was for the most part, thankfully uneventful, only interrupted by a couple encounters with lone, wandering lizard men, which Devlin was able to easily dispatch. His tale ended about the time they reached a large wooden gate. Devlin pulled a level attached to the wall, and the gate was pulled upwards, opening to the outside. Thankful to be free of the confines of the winding stone halls, the Man hurredly passed through the threshold and out into the open. The gate descended and closed as Devlin followed after.

Before them was a vast green field of grass flowing in the breeze. After the stale air of the dungeon halls, the open air was a welcome change. The sun was making its descent towards the horizon as the evening progressed towards dusk. After all the trouble from the beach to the present, it was a little past seven thirty. The Man looked back at where they'd come from, seeing the dungeon gate was embedded in the base of a short rough mountain.

He searched the area for any other landmarks; for the most part everything he could see was green fields with an occasional crop of trees or rocky outcroppings. In the distance, he thought he could see what looked like a town. Much closer, a little over a hundred fifty meters away, was a pair of stone plinths with a large metal ring connecting the two. As he was watching, a trio of figures walked through it, and vanished in a blue haze. He squinted his eyes, but as far as he could see, they were gone.

He pointed towards it. "What is that?"

"Field teleporter." Devlin answered, as though that explained anything. He noticed the Man's questioning expression. "It leads to the nearest town."

"And that's how we're getting there?" The Man asked in amazement.

"Nope." Devlin said flatly. "We get to walk."

The town looked like it was quite a distance away. "Why?"

"Orange cursor, remember. I can't go in towns." He answered.

"There a reason for that?" The Man asked. It was like every answer from his guide required further questions.

"Okay, this has gotten old." Devlin said irritably. "Start talking. For starters, who are you, and where's your icon?"

The Man shook his head. "I told you, I don't know."

"Well, mystery one should be easy. You see the health bar in the upper left of your field of view?" He pointed over his shoulder. "Should look a lot like the one you see hovering over my shoulder."

"Yeah." The Man answered, waving his hand at where it appeared to him. "Except it's almost hollow. It's just got this red bit that keeps flashing. Is that normal? It's actually starting to get really annoying."

"That means you're on the verge 'o death." Devlin explained. "Give me that crystal you have; the yellow one."

The Man dug out the specified brick and handed it over. Devlin held it at arm's length in front of him and said 'Heal' in a commanding tone. The crystal evaporated, and the bar in his vision filled green.

Devlin wiped the now non-existed polygons off his hand on his cloak, "Better?"

He nodded in confirmation. Now that he knew what the bar meant, it was discomforting to know how long he'd been so close to dieing.

"Ok, next to the bar should be some text. There'll be a number of how many hit points you have, and then your name and level number." Devlin listed.

The Man could see the hit points, but where the name and level were supposed to be was a blank space. He said as much.

"That's weird." Devlin admitted. "Here, do what I do."

Devlin held out his right hand at shoulder height. Connecting his index finger and thumb, he swept his hand downwards. With a beeping chime, the floating panels reappeared. The Man mimed the movements and the same set of panels appeared in front of him. Devlin closed his own and sidled up to the Man's side, directing him through the menu.

"Alright, this is getting really weird. Your player information is all blank." Devlin said. "I think I'm starting to believe you."

"So," The Man started, "what now?"

"Same as before; we go to town." Devlin nodded his head towards town, gesturing for them to start their trek. The Man noticed that while he stopped walking behind him, taking a spot to his side, though several paces apart. "'Course, we'll need to figure out another way for you to pay me for getting you out of that dungeon."

"What?!" The man said in surprise. "You said the bricks were enough."

"Half of which I just used keeping you from becoming a corpse." He replied, still looking ahead. "That, and I still thought you were an NPC. What I really need more than anything right now is a quest. You're going to help me with that. Also, I'm pretty sure if I leave you alone you'll be dead in about an hour, so, you're welcome."

"There's that NPC word again. What does that mean? And how am I supposed to get you a quest, or whatever?" The Man asked.

"NPC; Non Player Character. Not really a person; just a computer controlled character in SAO." Devlin explained. "One of the drones."

"Not a person?" He was getting confused again. "You mean like your friend back there? You're telling me that wasn't a real person? I saw her, she looked real to me."

Devlin stopped, drawing the pair to a halt, and looked him dead in the eyes. "Do you even know you're in a game?"

The Man cocked an eyebrow, not sure what to make of such a question.

"Oh." Devlin said, realizing the answer to his query. "I'm…I'm not sure how to go about explaining this."

The town was still some distance away, in front of what was soon to be a setting sun. "You've got plenty of time to try."

Devlin gave a sigh. "Fine, but if I'm gonna be stuck talking with you for that long, I'm going to need to call you something."

"Believe me, I wish I had something to tell you." The Man replied.

"Well, until you have something better," Devlin stroked his chin in though, "I'm calling you Buttercup."

"I refuse to answer to that." Answered Buttercup.

"Well, then." Devlin took a moment. "For now, you're 'Noob'"

Noob still felt like the word was insulting, but couldn't come up with anything. He accepted it with a nod, and the pair resumed their long walk towards the distant town. Over the next few hours, Devlin explained the concept of SAO and nervegear to a very perplexed Noob. The very premise beggared belief. Everything felt real; it was hard to accept that everything he could see was just a fabrication of some sort of machine. It did, however, explain a few things. The strange way things died, the floating interfaces and icons, and the lack of pain or death when he'd first been slashed by the first creature he had run into.

"So, all of this is fake?" Noob asked, staring at his hands.

"Yup. Your real body is lying in some hospital bed somewhere. "If you're lucky, you've got someone waiting for you. To tell the truth, sometimes I forget myself that it's just a game, or was supposed to be."

Devlin segued into a brief retelling of the beginning of the death game that was Sword Art online. He went over the hijacking of the game by its creator, Kayaba Akihiko, and summarized the inability of anybody to log out. He went on to describe the end game objective of beating SAO, as well as the consequences of in-game death, and its permanence.

"It's been over a year now, but we're still only half way there." Devlin said.

"Why would someone do something like this?" Noob asked.

"Who knows; nobody's seen the guy ever since this whole thing started." Devlin shrugged. "I guess the same kind of nutcase that expects people to beat an MMO. He's probably out there somewhere, laughing his ass off."

With Noob's tale and Devlin's history lesson out of the way, the two walked in silence towards the settings sun and their destination for a while longer. Once the sun had completely set, and twilight starting to turn to night, Devlin altered their course to a lone tree nearby. Once there, he summoned his menu, and after a few taps, a pixelated haze appeared in front of him before coalescing into a pillow. He tossed it against the base of the tree. With a few more taps, a sandwich wrapped in wax paper appeared in his hand. Noob realized that he hadn't eaten since before he could remember. Devlin noticed him eying his food hungrily, and took a bite of it.

He rolled his eyes and reopened his menu, and summoned another, tossing it to him without comment. "We'll camp here tonight and get to town tomorrow."

Noob caught the offered meal and eagerly bit into it. It was surprisingly satisfying, with dense bread, smoked meat and cheese, and a layer of various greens. "Thanks."

"Y'know, just 'cause we're out of the dungeon doesn't mean we're safe. Mobs can spawn just about anywhere out here, and the spawn rates increase after dark." Devlin said between bites of his sandwich. "You have any weapons?"

With his mask pulled down to eat, Noob got his first look at Devlin's full face. He appeared to be in his early twenties, and had a sharp, clean shaven chin. He thought Devlin had looked a little menacing when he could only see his eyes and mask, but with his face bare he managed to look even more severe. Catching Noob's scrutiny, he wolfed down the rest of his meal and pulled his mask back up. Noob had lost both his dagger and throwing knife in his encounters with the lizards; his sword sheath still hung empty at his side.

"Check your inventory." Devlin instructed, smoothing his tarp out on the ground next to the tree. He sat down, drawing his cloak around himself and leaning against the trunk. His hook-sword was unsheathed and placed across his lap, ready and in reach.

Noob performed the needed motion to call forth his menu, and after some clumsy navigation, found a tab titled 'inventory'. He was surprised by how much was contained in its list. There were weapons, food, various portions of armour and an assortment of gear. Selecting a sword, he pulled it from his inventory. It formed in front of him, hanging in the air a moment before dropping to the ground. The menu had listed its name as 'Bone Cleaver'. It was a silver, one sided sword with crimson filigree running down its length. The blade was concave near the hilt, but was larger near the tip, and pitched forward about twenty degrees at the blade's halfway point. He picked it up, giving it a few practice swings to get a feel for its weight.

"Hey, you figured it out all on your own, good for you." Devlin quipped. "Interesting blade; what kind is it?"

"A falcata, I guess." Noob read from its description. He looked at the golden sword belonging to his guide. "And yours?"

Devlin's sword started out straight, but a third of the way down it flowed into a convex arc, like the outer edge of a sickle. The blade then curved back in line with the first portion, and abruptly swept back into a hook.

"It's called a khopesh. There's no point on it, so I can't use any stabbing or thrusting skills with it, but it's good enough with cuts and slashes." He explained conversationally. "The inside of the hook is unsharpened, though, so it's great for grappling. It was hard to find; most people just want katanas or broadswords."

Noob returned his attention to his inventory and summoned a heater shield. Its colouration matched the sword. Once it formed, he caught it before it fell. Lastly, he retrieved a sleeping roll and unrolled it out on the ground. He placed the sword and shield down next to it and climbed in.

"Hey." Noob called out. "You said those…mobs, they spawn more at night, right? Are we really safe sleeping out here?"

"Probably." Devlin answered simply, ducking his head down and closing his eyes.

"You don't sound worried." Noob stated.

"Not really."

Noob propped himself up on his elbow. "But wh-"

"Please stop talking. I'd like to get some sleep" Devlin cut him off. "Any wandering field mobs aren't usually that strong. More annoying filter than any danger."

Noob sat up, scanning the horizon, but couldn't see anything moving. He glanced over at Devlin; who was motionless, with his chin tucked down to his chest. He squinted; in the dark, it looked like his hand was resting on the handle of his khopesh. He figured the red clad figure was keeping some sort of watch, or was otherwise ready for trouble. Accepting that he'd wake up again once he went to sleep, he lied back down, staring at the night sky. There was a pleasant ambience of crickets and the soft breeze blowing through the tree leaves breaking what would have otherwise been silence. After a tiring day, it did not take long for sleep to take him.

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_He was standing, but he was no longer in the field. The Man blinked, looking around in confusion at his surroundings. He stood in the crossroads of a four way corridor. The same endless stone halls of the dungeon he'd awoken in. He was lost, and he was alone. The torches lining the walls burnt, flames flickering in the wind, but produced no light. Instead, the area was lit by the soft light of the moon. The Man turned his head upwards; there was no ceiling. He could feel a rushing wind, but everything was silent. The only sound to be heard was his own breathing._

_He heard someone call out to him; a name he couldn't make out. He whirled around, looking for the source of the voice. The Man was no longer alone. In each corridor stood a figure, their features covered in shadow. Three men, and directly in front of him, a woman. She was crying. Her mouth moved as she spoke, but no words reached him. He knew her, but he couldn't recall who she was. The Man realized they were no longer in the crossroads._

_The five of them stood on a wide flat plane made of smooth brown stone. They were inside a massive room made from featureless grey stone. The light was no longer from the moon, but from a glowing sphere hanging from the center of the area. He'd been here before; the plateau._

_He opened his mouth to call out to her, to say her name, but whatever word he was about to form was swallowed up in a deafening that shook him to his bones. The entire plateau titled to one side like a sinking ship. His feet slipped out from under him as he starting sliding towards the edge. His hands scrabbled for anything to grab onto, but found nothing. Finally, he slid off the edge, into the void. The silence was replaced by a cacophony of screams as they fell. The four figures shimmered and died._

_"Heads up." He heard, and something hard slammed into his gut._

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Noob rolled across the ground, flopping out of his sleeping roll in a heap. He quickly took to his feet. It was morning. He was starting to search for what had hit him when he was answered by an angry squeal as a boar rammed into him, throwing him onto his back. From there, he could see Devlin, sitting comfortably in the tree.

"Morning." He said, adding a fruit from a nearby branch to his inventory.

Before he could retort, the boar made to ram him again. It was nearly five feet long and came up to his waist. It was covered in filthy, matted brown fur, and had a pair of large upturned tusks. He reflexively struck out his foot, kicking it straight in the face and knocking it over. Noob searched the ground for his sword.

"Up here." Devlin called, tossing it to him from the tree.

Noob caught it and held it high, taking what felt like a familiar stance. The blade glowed green, and he struck the boar in a heavy downwards blow that halved its life bar. The boar squealed, trying to gore him on its tusks. Noob thrust his sword down its throat, and after a brief struggle, it shimmered and died. A congratulatory screen appeared, accompanied by the sound of slaw clapping from the tree.

Noob sheathed his falcata, shooting an angry glare up at Devlin. "A little warning would have been nice."

"I did. I said 'Heads up'" Devlin hopped down from the tree. "Besides, I had to make sure you weren't completely useless. Just a simple field boar; couldn't have hurt you much. How much health did you lose?"

Noob glanced at his health bar. "A little under a sixth. You couldn't have me try something after I'd gotten up?"

"This was much more educational. Entertaining, too." Devlin started folding up his tarp. "Ok, I think we're around the same level. Good."

"Glad I could provide some amusement." Noob replied sardonically.

"I said educational, too." Devlin had finished returning what little camp he'd made to his inventory and resumed his walk towards town, beckoning Noob after him. "You used a sword skill, so, even if you can't remember anything, you still know how to fight. You still have your muscle memory and reflexes."

Noob packed up his sleeping roll, sheathed his sword and grabbed his shield, attaching it to his left forearm. A few long strides caught him up to Devlin's side. He hadn't even thought about it before, but he could recall his dagger having a similar strange glow when he'd blocked an attack back in the dungeon.

"Which brings me to why it's important that you're not useless." Devlin continued. With a few taps and a flourish, he summoned a breakfast jerky from his inventory. "I might need you to watch my back when we get to town."

"Care to explain?" Noob prompted.

"Sure. You see, my icon is orange." Devlin said, jutting his thumb up over his head. "I want it to be green. Having an orange icon tends to make you unpopular. If I complete a quest, it'll go back to green, but if I get in any unwanted fights with another green player, then it'll be stuck orange forever. I might need you to rattle your sword if anyone wants to start something."

There was apparently a variety of colours that the floating icons came in, though their meaning was still lost on Noob.

"so, I'm replaying you by guarding you?" Noob asked. "What made your icon change in the first place?"

'I may have…instigated some unwanted fights. A green icon changes to orange if you perform some offence or…altercation with another green player. If you wait a little bit, it'll change back to green on its own for the first few times." Devlin explained. "If you do some fourth thing within that same time frame, it gets tuck orange. Only way to get it unstuck is to complete a quest of equal or greater value to your level. You do a fifth infraction, and there's no way to change it back."

Noob slowed his pace. "Wait, are you telling me you're some kind of criminal?"

"No. Sometimes shit just happens." Devlin said with a shrug. "Point is, if a green player attacks and orange player, they stay green, but if I end up fighting a green player like this, I get stuck. Sometimes green players want to feel like a hero, and since I can't defend myself until I get a quest done, I need you around for the time being."

"Like I said, I'm paying you by being your guard." Noon repeated.

"No, You're going to pay me by being my quest mule." Devlin stated.

The pair had almost reached the town's front gate. Two storey high stone walls made it impossible to see much of anything inside, apart from the tops of a few buildings. There were several players in view entering and exiting the settlement. Devlin stopped at an outcropping of rocks about half a kilometer from the town entrance.

"Y'see," He started, "quests can be found most anywhere in the game, but the vast majority of them are found in towns and cities. I'm sure you can spot the conundrum there. I need to complete a quest to be welcome into town, but I have to get into town to get said quest. We're gonna party up, and you're going to go into town and get me a quest."

"How will I do that?" Noob asked.

"Look for any NPC with an exclamation point above their heads. It'll be about where my icon is." Devlin took a seat on a waist high rock. "There might also be a bulletin board, but those are a bit more hit or miss. Just ask them how you can help, listen to their story, and accept the mission. It'll share it with me, we'll do the mission, I'll of course do all the work, and we'll be even."

Noob nodded. "Alright, that sounds simple enough."

"Great. Now, let's party up." Devlin opened his menu and opened the relevant tab. "Oh, right. Don't know your name. You invite me."

Noob opened his menu as directed and searched for the desired options. After a few moments, Devlin hopped off his rock and sidled up to his side. "It's right…here."

The tab that he was indicating had a greyed out colour to it, and refused to function.

"What the hell is this? Your friends tab is greyed out." Devlin took hold of Noob's hand and used it to scroll through the menus. "So are your trade and duel tabs. You don't even _have_ a messaging tab. None of your social menus work."

"So, this isn't going to work?" Noob ventured.

"Shit!" Devlin reeled and kicked a stone into the distance. A couple players near the town entrance peered their way at the loud outburst. "Why are you so glitched out?!"

"Take that as a no." Noob answered himself.

Devlin paced a few steps back and forth. "Hang on, this can still work, more or less."

He opened his own menu and summoned a fist sized bag full of gold coins. "Ok, change of plans. Take this, go into town, and find a quest broker. They're players that act like professional mules; they collect quests, then party up and share them for coin."

Devlin sat back down on his rock. "Find a guy named Merlot; he's worked with red players before. He'll probably be in a tavern called MakiMori's. Short guy, kinda chubby, has black hair. Probably won't talk to you until you buy him a drink. Tell him to come out here. Just get me a quest, _any_ quest, and we're square."

Noob took the offered bag of money. Taking a coin out, he saw it was a gold coin with the word 'Col' and a denomination of value stamped on it. He placed the bag into his pouch next to his remaining crystal and clasped it shut. He nodded, and started towards the town gate.

"I'll try not to take too long." He said.

"And don't bail on me." Devlin called out from behind him.

_The idea had occurred to me_. He thought. However, he had to admit to himself that it was his fault Devlin's previous escort had died, and he had guided him to safety as promised. Despite his misgivings about Devlin's possible unlawful status, he did owe it to him. It didn't seem like much to pay him back for saving his life with a simple errand.

"Don't worry, I won't" He answered over his shoulder.

The town gate had a large sign reading 'Sveltheim' written in red stone above it. Walking through, he flinched as a message suddenly appeared in his vision stating 'Inner Area'. Before he could wonder what that meant, it vanished. Once inside, he blended into the crowd and started his search for the tavern and the quest broker.

* * *

Hopefully this is so far sufficiently unterrible. If you've made it this far, thanks for reading, hope you like it.


	3. Chapter 2: A Quest for a Quest

The town of Sveltheim sprawled out in all direction around him. The settlement appeared to be mostly made of single or two storey stone buildings, with some larger structures near the center of town. Noob walked down the cobblestone street, pondering which direction to search. Most the establishments he could see on this road were small on either side, though the street was wide enough to accommodate a few open carts that had been rolled out as a small stand. There were a couple dozen people in the immediate area milling about, but the street was unnaturally quiet.

The first thing he noticed about the crowd was that he was a fair bit taller than most everyone around. Looking over everyone, Noob noted that a person's icon only became visible to him when his attention was directed their way. After his focus was elsewhere, the icons would disappear from his peripheral view. Scanning everyone around him, he found that only about half of them had icons. He approached one of the wheeled carts; a flower stand staffed by a friendly looking old woman in a tan dress. Like him, she had no visible icon or health bar.

"Excuse me." He waved to grab her attention.

"Good afternoon, traveler." She smiled up at him. The woman gestured at her wares. "Do you see something you like? I have some wonderful white roses."

"They're nice, but no thanks." Noob said. "I'm looking for a tavern."

"Perhaps some lazuli blossoms would be more to your liking?" She asked, as though she hadn't heard him.

"No, thank you. I'm looking for a place called MakiMori's" Noob stated. "Do you know where I can find it?"

"I'm sorry, but I don't know where that is." The woman again gestured to her stand. "I have some fresh tulips, as well as tristeri buds."

"I'm not looking to buy any flowers." He said, starting to get frustrated.

"Alright, then." She said curtly. "Have a nice day."

Without another word she turned away, and set back to arranging and rearranging her flowers. Noob cocked an eyebrow as she set to watering some of her plants, ignoring him.

He cleared his throat and waved at her again. "Excuse me."

She turned back to him. "Good afternoon, traveler. How can I help you today?"

Noob said nothing in return, instead watching the shopkeeper's actions. Her expression was friendly enough, but looked off somehow. A few moments passed as she idly shifted from one foot to the other before speaking. "Do you see something you like? I have some lovely tulips."

He still said nothing. Something about her eyes was wrong; the upper half of her face remained still when she smiled. She didn't appear to find his scrutiny discomforting. She didn't seem to notice it at all.

"Perhaps some lazuli blossoms would be more to your liking." She offered.

"No, thank you." Noob said simply, and turned away.

He walked a dozen paces and turned back. She's returned her attention to her stand and the care of her flowers. Noob approached her again and greeted her.

"Hello again, traveler." She said with a smile. "Do you see something you like? I have some wonderful white roses."

"Are you an NPC?" He asked.

"I'm sorry, I don't understand your question." She replied.

Noob thought a moment. "What is SAO? Sword Art Online?"

"I'm sorry, I don't understand your ques-." She started.

Noob cut her off. "What is an NPC?"

She blinked, pausing before repeating. "I'm sorry, I don't understand your question."

"They don't like it when you break the fourth wall, silly." Someone behind him said with a light laugh.

He whirled to see a woman in bronze armour walking away from him. Noob turned back to the shopkeeper, still idly staring at him. It was becoming incredibly unsettling. Without another word, he walked away. A group of five players brushed past him, a couple bumping into him. He excused himself, but save a quick glance at what they'd collided with, they all ignored him completely. To them, he reasoned, he must look like any other NPC. Wanting to get away from the crowd that he was starting to accept wasn't entirely made up of real people, Noob entered the nearest building. A bell above the door rang as he opened it.

He found himself inside an armoury. There was a young man behind the counter, who gave him a quick glance before returning his attention to his customer, a small girl. Oddly, neither person had an icon, but only the clerk had a health bar. The door chimed again behind him, and Noob turned to see another customer exit, and another enter. An icon appeared over the person leaving, while the icon over the one entering disappeared as he passed through the door.

Noob was puzzling over this when a bit of motion in the edge of his vision caught his attention. What he'd thought was another person at first was a floor to ceiling mirror on the other side of the store. He walked over to it, and realized this was the first good look he'd gotten at himself. He had a broad face with a flat nose and a square chin. His dark brown hair was cut short. He had a thick, sturdy build, like someone who was quite accustomed with heavy lifting. His skin had a deep tan, looking like it'd seen its fair share of sun. There was a pair of measuring markings on either side of the mirror; one in meters and the other in feet. He came up to around two hundred ten centimeters, or just an inch shy of seven feet.

Noob stared at the mirror. It was unnerving, looking at someone that was obviously himself, but might as well have been a complete stranger. He turned back to the clerk, who was just wrapping up with his customer, and approached the counter. The girl, having completed her purchase, left. Noob noted that no icon appeared over her as she exited; an NPC shopper.

The clerk turned his attention to Noob as he approached. "Hello there. Haven't seen you before. Can I help you find something in particular?"

"Actually, yes." Noob started. "I'm looking for a tavern. Someplace called MakiMori's."

The clerk frowned, surprised by the question. "Not looking to buy anything?"

"No." Noob answered. "I just need to find a tavern."

The clerk squinted as he looked Noob over. He had clearly mistaken him for an NPC, and was curious about his lack of health bar, but was too unsure of his observation to ask about it.

"Do you know where I can find it? I'm supposed to meet someone there." Noob asked, cutting off any inquiries the clerk might have been forming.

"Uh, yeah." The clerk replied. "Maki's is a little west of the center of town."

"Thanks." This person was much easier to talk to than the NPC. "I don't suppose you could give me directions?"

After some unhelpful verbal instructions the clerk ended up drawing out directions on a piece of parchment. Noob thanked the man and exited the shop without further conversation. Once again amidst the crowd of half people, and half uncanny not-people, Noob started on his way to his destination. Holding up his directions, he scanned for any helpful landmarks or street signs. Thankfully, the town was a lot smaller than he had originally assumed it to be.

His stomach growled; Noob remembered that he hadn't eaten since the night before. With the parchment in his left hand, he summoned his menu with his right. Scrolling through his inventory, he selected and withdrew what looked like an iridescent apple. It appeared in a pixilated haze before forming in the air. It fell to the ground before he could catch it and landed on the ground in front of him just in time for him to step on it. It was squashed under his boot, and it soon after vaporized back into polygons. Chiding himself, he stuffed the parchment into his pocket and made ready to catch the next fruit. It dropped into his waiting palm.

It was a curious notion; that he could feel hunger for simulated food. Devlin had explained to him that his real body was being sustained in a hospital bed somewhere. Noob pondered; was it possible to starve to death in the game? If he ate here, would his body feel satisfied? He still didn't like the notion that everything around him was fake, and that he was merely trapped in an elaborate illusion when he couldn't remember ever being outside of it. Curtailing his musing, Noob took a bite. It was fibrous, with a bitter flavour and sour aftertaste, and left a chalky residue. It was, in a word, revolting. He spat his mouthful onto the sidewalk, it turning back to voxels and returning to the ether on impact. He dropped the apple to the same fate. Noob tried a few other foodstuffs with the same unsavoury results before giving up and deciding to eat something at the tavern.

_Wow, I had horrible taste_. He thought.

Noob was reaching back for the directions when he caught sight of his destination and broke into a sprint. Reaching the entrance, he looked up at the sign over the door. 'MakiMori's' was written with the first half in elegant cursive in a bright combination of pinks with a border of roses. The other half was written in simple black print within a flat grey boxed border. Noob pulled open the doors, revealing a restaurant and bar much more normal than the sign had him expecting. He glanced at the clock in the lower edge of his vision.

_I think I made decent time_. He thought with a smile.

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With a flick of his thumb, Devlin sent a small dried nut into a brief upwards arc, before it descended into his waiting mouth. He was lying on his back, on top of a two and a half meter tall flat topped rock. It was the tallest in the vicinity, with several smaller stones and boulders surrounding it. His feet dangled over the side at the knees. He let out a bored sigh as he reached into the sack of nuts held between his thighs and sent another snack skyward. He blinked as it landed on his forehead, before rolling to the stone.

"This is taking way too long." He said to nobody in particular.

The next nut missed his head completely. Devlin sat up with an irritated grunt, relenting to a more manual and dependable style of eating.

"He better not've gotten lost." It had been over an hour since he'd seen Noob enter the town. "I can't even message the guy for an update."

Impatient, Devlin pulled a telescope from within his cloak and started surveying the town entrances for what felt like the hundredth time, searching for his mule near the town gates. Sveltheim's walls prevented him from looking inside, so that was about the only place he could search. Devlin twisted his spyglass, increasing its magnification, and did another scan.

"It's just a simple task. Get in, find a guy, get out." Devlin said to himself. "Not complicated."

He lowered his telescope long enough to dig out another handful of nuts and raised it back up to his eye. Devlin was greeted with the image of a man in white armour, holding a spyglass, looking directly back at him. He paused in his chewing. The man on the other end of his telescope said something to the pair of individuals to his side; another, thicker man in black armour, and a woman in grey. He passed the telescope to the man in the middle.

"That's…not good." Devlin waved.

He didn't wave back. The man in black smirked, passed the spyglass back, and exchanged more words with his compatriots. The trio exited the town and headed his way at a brisk pace, with a small assorted group following behind them in a more leisurely stroll.

"Nnnnnope." Devlin said with a sinking feeling. "This is gonna suck."

He returned his handful of nuts to its bag.

"Well, I could make a run for it. I've got a good lead. But then I'd be leaving empty handed. Still, three on one aren't the best of odds, and I can't even fight back. Might not have to fight, though." Devlin held his hands palm up like he was weighing the options. "Then there's my mule. I can't very well abandon the guy. Actually, yeah, I could, but he might still be useful. Still need that quest. He's pretty glitched out; kinda curious about that, too."

His mind made up, he decided to sit back and wait for the trio's arrival.

"I've still got time. Let's see how this plays out." Devlin started to raise his spyglass back up, and paused. "The hell am I talking to?"

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Noob took a quick inventory of the patrons inside the tavern. There were a little over a dozen people inside, but none matched the description of the person he was looking for. He approached the bar, where a young woman in a pink apron was cleaning the inside of a glass.

The girl looked to be about sixteen, with shoulder length black hair held in a ponytail placed high on the back of her head. She was short, comparatively, with a soft, pretty face. The girl had a thin build and a fair complexion. Noob stepped up to the bar and cleared his throat. She turned his way, and found herself staring straight into his chest. She tilted her head back to meet his eyes.

"High." She blinked. "I mean, hi. You're new. Welcome to MakiMori's. I'm Maki. Sit anywhere you like."

The girl spoke with a high pitched voice in a rapid fire staccato and wore a wide smile. Noob took a seat at the bar. He was about to ask about Merlot when his stomach reminded him of his hunger. The audible queue was not lost on Maki.

"Can I get you somethin'?" She asked. "We're having a special on beledon steaks."

Noob had no idea what a beledon was, but its association with steak was endorsement enough. There was a blackboard behind the bar listing menu items and prices in chalk. While the food seemed to cost more than he would have thought, it was still affordable to him. He placed his order, and within minutes the bubbly hostess returned with a plate carrying a large cut of meat and a glass of iced tea.

"Here you are." Maki said, placing it down in front of him. She placed a hand on her hip and smiled again. "Enjoy."

"Thank you." Noob grabbed his cutlery and made to dig into his meal.

"Well?" Maki prompted.

"It's very good." He answered between bites.

"And?" Her hand dropped from her hip.

"And wh-" Noob started to guess where this conversation was going.

"That's funny; your payment windows should've opened." Maki sounded like she was talking to a puppy.

"I'm not an NPC." Noob stated simply.

"Oh! I'm so sorry." Maki cocked her hear to one side and pointed over his shoulder. "Wait, but where's your health bar?"

Noob shrugged, not sure how to answer her question. He opened his menu to pull out some money for the meal. Noob held out his hand and summoned the needed amount. The coins materialized in a neat stack and dropped into in his palm. He smiled, a little proud of his simple accomplishment of catching the item the first time.

_I'm still new at this, but I'm catching on_. He thought. His smile inverted when he figured out the meaning of his temporary nickname, and decided he didn't like it.

He handed the coins to Maki. "I'm looking for someone. Guy named Merlot. Do you know where I might find him?"

"I only do the restaurant stuff. If you want info, you'll wanna talk to my sister." Maki tucked the money in a pocket behind her apron. "Hang on, I'll go get her."

Maki disappeared into what Noob assumed to be the back office and returned with another girl wearing a grey shirt and pants in tow. She also appeared to be about sixteen, with shoulder length hair styled in a bob. There wasn't much else of note about her, apart from being identical to Maki.

"This is my sister Mori." Maki introduced.

"Hi." Mori deadpanned. She had the same voice as her sister, but without the cheer. "You're looking for Merlot? Info isn't free."

Maki nudged her sister. "C'mon, Mori. First time's on the house."

"Fine." Mori let out a sigh. "He isn't here. He's gone."

"What? Where to?" Noob asked.

"Don't know. Not here." Mori said. Her sister gave her another nudge. "Some guy calling himself The Inquisitor chased all the quest brokers out of town a couple days ago. Killed one of 'em in a duel to scare off the others. Haven't seen any of 'em since."

"A real shame, too." Maki added. "Merlot's customers brought us a good chunk of business. Anything else?"

"Yeah, I'm looking for someone else." Noob spoke slowly, trying to figure out a way to phrase his question when he was referring to himself. "I don't have his name, just a physical description. Is there anywhere I could search for someone based on that?"

Mori shook her head. "Nobody has access to the system's player data. Closest thing SAO has to an accessible census is the Monument of Life."

"And what's that?" Noob asked.

Maki raised an eyebrow. "That's a total noob question. It's the big stone tablet thing in the starting city. The one listing the names of every player in SAO. Only has their names, though, so I guess it still wouldn't help if you don't know that much."

"Thanks." Noob said. "I guess that's all."

"No probs." Maki twirled and headed to greet a couple who had just entered.

Her sister lingered, her eyes narrowing slightly as she scrutinized Noob. "Who are you?"

"Noob, I guess, until I know otherwise." He answered.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Mori sat down on the bar stool to his left. "What happened to your health bar?"

Noob weighed his answer. "You're an information broker, right?"

Mori nodded. "I tend to know things."

"Can you think of any reasons why an icon or health bar would be missing?" Noob asked.

"Interesting." Mori leaned forward. "So your icon's gone, too."

Noob leaned away, starting to feel like he was under a spotlight. "Well, can you?"

"Like I said, info isn't free," Mori was still looking him over, memorizing details, "and you've already used your free questions."

"How about a trade?" Noob offered. "You tell me what you know and I'll tell you what I know."

"Fair enough." Mori leaned back to a more comfortable position for both of them. "I have absolutely no idea."

"You'd really charge for a non-answer?" Noob shrugged. "Well, I guess this was a fair trade, 'cause I don't either."

Mori's lip twitched downwards before she muttered a simple. "Interesting."

She was about to ask another question when a woman butted in between them. "C'mon Mori, stop grilling the guy."

"I'm doing business here, Chie." Mori said. "We're exchanging information."

Noob finished off the last of his meal. "Actually, we were just wrapping up."

Mori looked like she was about to contest the point, but relented and excused herself. She crossed to the other end of the tavern and struck up a conversation with her sister. Chie took the now vacant seat. She looked to be in her late twenties, with a plain but pleasant face and lightly curled brown hair reaching her shoulder blades. She had a full, womanly figure and wide hips. She was dressed in casual clothes consisting of a simple blue shirt and a pair of tan slacks. On her hip was what looked like a broadsword

"I overheard you were searching for Merlot." Chie started. "You happen to be looking for a quest?"

"Yeah, I am." Noob answered.

"Well, you're out of luck, there." Chie stated. "Nobody likes quest brokers, but when they left, they took all the jobs with them."

Chie caught his confusion. "See, a broker will go into a town and snatch up all the quests they can, and then share them for a profit. Annoying, really, bottlenecking the quests. Since they make shared experience from every job of theirs completed, they're usually pretty high level players, so nobody wants to mess with them."

"And that's why they were chased out of town?" Noob ventured.

"No." Chie replied. "Rumor was some of them were working with some really shady characters. Red guilds. Nasty people like that."

Noob waited for her to continue, sensing she was leading up to something.

"Thing is, a town will only generate so many quests at a time, and they left without selling them, so they still have all those active missions." Chie explained. "Until they get rid of or cancel them, this town's dry."

Noob let out a frustrated sigh. "Well, that's just great."

Chie shifted in her seat. "So, you come here alone? You with a party?"

Noob was instantly on edge by her sudden question. "Why?"

"It just so happens that me," she gestured to a trio sitting at a nearby table, "and my friends have a quest we could use a little extra muscle with. We don't mind giving a fair share of the loot, but we don't want to split it with a whole other group. Everyone else we've come across has been partied up, or in a guild."

Noob eyed the three. One was a boy in his late teens or early twenties. His dark green hair matched his shirt, and was held back in a short ponytail. He was relatively short, looking to be about five foot three, and had a slender build. Most noteworthy was his face; it had a smooth, soft shape that looked like the picture of feminine beauty.

As if in counterpoint to the green haired bishounen, sitting next to him was a brawny woman with sandy brown hair affixed in a simple but practical bun. She had a man-ish, handsome complexion and was the only person present still wearing her armour. She was clad in a greyish tan, full plate armour that made her look more like a fortification than a person. On her back was a large labrys axe. She looked to be around five foot ten, with a well-muscled build.

Across from her was a slightly plump man with a shaved head and a welcoming smile. He was of average height, about five foot seven, and had a thickset build with a bit of a gut. He and the woman across from him appeared to be the oldest people present, looking to be somewhere in their late thirties.

"I've got one more somewhere around town." Chie nudged her head in their direction and starting leading him to the table. "C'mon, I'll introduce you. If they like you we can make a deal."

"Thanks," Noob said, "the quest isn't just for me, though."

"Oh?" Chie stopped. She looked around the tavern. "Who? Where is he? I didn't see anyone else with you?"

Noob remembered not to bring up Devlin to anyone other than Merlot, but couldn't think of a way to skirt the issue. "He's a little outside of town."

Chie placed her hands on her hips. "Fine, I guess we'd be okay splitting with _two _people, but no more than that. Why is he waiting for you out there, anyways?"

"He's…uh." He wasn't sure if he should lie, and failed to come up with one either way.

"So, you're here for a job, and your partner is waiting outside town." The bishouned with the green hair asked. He had a thoughtful expression.

"Wait a second," Chie's eyes narrowed, "are you a mule?"

Noob was trying to come up with an answer when the boy flinched. He opened his menu and began tapping through it.

"Message from Amber." He said. "Says someone spotted a red player lurking outside town. Few people just went to root him out. Says she's tagging along."

"Tell her not to get involved." Chie turned back to Noob. "That him?"

Without a word he turned and bolted from the tavern. Bursting through the door, he stopped a moment to recall the right direction, and took off full tilt towards the town's exit.

"Big guy's got some quick legs." The bald man quipped. "Think we should check it out?"

Chie was already heading towards the door, and the trio followed after.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Probably should've ran." Devlin muttered to himself.

He was sat cross legged on top of his boulder, spreading jam on a slice of bread. Below him were the three figures he'd seen exit the town before. The larger man in black armour had his chest puffed out in a pose that screamed forced bravado. The smaller man and woman he came with flanked him on either side. Several meters behind them was a crowd a couple dozen strong that had formed and followed after them. The change to see a good fight always tended to bring in an audience, and having one side be a red player just let them all feel justified in it. There was even an NPC that had tagged along; Devlin chuckled to himself at the oddity.

"Come on down." The smaller boy in white said with a smirk. "All we want to do it talk."

"We _are_ talking," Devlin countered, "and I think I'll stay up here."

"Get down here!" The man in black armour shouted, much more direct.

"No." Devlin finished spreading his jam. "Listen, I'm not here looking for any trouble."

"Bullshit!" He yelled back. "I saw you spying on the gates. Looking for easier prey, more like it!"

Devlin held his hand to his mouth in mock surprise. "Oh my, you've caught me bloody handed. Here I was, hoping to find some lonely little stray. Woe is me for finding such a strong man like you."

_Okay, watch your tongue. _He thought. _ No need to make this worse._

"But in all seriousness," He said, "I'm merely waiting for a friend. Just passing through."

"More red players?" The man in black appeared unsure of himself for a split second. "You'll be dead before they get here."

"I'm still not coming down." Devlin held out his butter knife like a rapier. "Have at thee."

The man drew a knife and threw it. It flew straight into Devlin's chest. He jerked back from the impact. Devlin pulled it out and used it to trim the crust from his bread. "I'm keeping this. Do you have any more?"

Someone in the crowd shouted something, egging them on. The man huffed and turned to his companions. "Cassidy, Yates. Flush 'im."

The two opened their menus and each summoned a long spear. Yates held his high and launched it.

_Ah, shit_. Devlin dropped down behind the rock as the projectile flew overhead. By the time he landed his sword was drawn and the trio was upon him.

Devlin blocked and dodged their strikes, staying as close to the boulders as possible. Ducking in between the larger stones, their attacks were cramped and their room confined. Blocking a high blow, Devlin saw an opening. He started to strike when he stopped himself.

_No!_ He shouted internally. _Can't stay red!_

He faltered as his swing was aborted. The man in black grabbed him by the cloak and threw him into the open. Without the outcroppings providing cover, Devlin's defense was much more frantic, but still quick enough to evade their strikes. The three kept getting overeager and into each other's way until Yates stabbed his sword downwards, pinning Devlin's cloak to the ground. The crowd cheered.

_Shit! Shitshitshit!_

A trio of heavy strikes almost halved his life, and destroyed his cloak. Now free, he ducked under a swing aimed for his head. He turned to see the man in black holding his sword high, gleaming with an active skill. Lacking time to dodge and unable to use his weapons, he threw his jellied bread into his face.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_Almost there!_

Noob was fast approaching a crowd. Behind them he could see what looked like three people attacking Devlin.

_Ok, three assailants. Don't want to use my sword unless I have to. Think fast._

Noob detached his shield from his left forearm and held it like a discus. He saw Devlin throw what looked like a slice of bread at one of them when he plowed through the crowd. Ignoring the complaints of the people behind him, he drew back his arm and let his shield fly, not slowing his momentum.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The jam stuck the bread to his face. Suddenly blind, the man in black faltered and missed his strike. With an angry growl, he grabbed it and threw it aside just in time for a shield to slam into the bridge of his nose strong enough to knock him over.

"The he-!" Yates started to yell when Noob rammed into him at full tilt.

Noob dug his foot into the ground, skidding to a halt and launching the boy forward. Cassidy paused, still processing the sudden turn of events. The two scrambled back to their feet and regrouped.

"Thanks, big guy." Devlin patted Noob on the back. "Was starting to get a little worried."

Without the cloak masking his figure, Devlin looked much smaller. While he was just over six feet tall, he was much leaner than expected, with narrower shoulders and a thinner build. There was a staggering number of pockets and pouches strapped around his waist, legs and arms. He pulled a small vial from one such pocket and drank its contents. His health started to slowly refill.

"Who the hell are you?!" the man in black demanded, still wiping jam from his face.

"Might want to draw your sword." Devlin said to Noob. "Seems like a good time to rattle it."

Noob took a step towards the trio. He held his hands open and empty in front of him. "I don't want to fight you. There's no need for violence."

"The guy's got a quest companion?" Yates asked. "What's the word, Ren?"

"A little late for that." Ren, the man in black, gestured with his head and the three slowly spread out, with his companions moving to either side.

"This doesn't have to get bloody." Noob persisted. "We can all still walk away."

"Cut him down." Ren commanded. "The one in red's mine."

Yates struck first, with a simple thrust of his rapier. Noob sidestepped, narrowly dodging the attack. He stepped forward and drove his fist into his opponent's face. Noob followed with a kick to his gut that dropped him onto his back. He felt a stabbing sensation, and turned to see Cassidy behind him, her spear dug into his left kidney. He spun to face her, dislodging the spear and took hold of its shaft with both hands. Noob yanked on the weapon and Cassidy jerked forward, off balance. He delivered a punch with his left fist straight into her face, pushing her backwards. His right hand shot forward and grabbed her collar, pulling her like a ragdoll into another punch that took her off her feet.

He returned his attention to Yates, who had curled into a sitting position, getting up. Noob kicked him in the face hard enough to flop him over onto his stomach. He looked over his shoulder, seeing Devlin on the defensive from Ren. Noob took a few long strides towards him. He drove his foot into the back of his knee and shoved him. Ren fell forward onto his hands with a surprised yelp. Noob punched him in the back of his head, propelling his face down into the dirt. The crowd gave a series of boos and jeers, mixed with a couple cheers from people just happy to see things escalating. Noob quickly put some distance between he and Devlin and their opponents while they were regaining their footing. He checked their health bars; he hadn't actually done all that much damage to any of them.

"It's not too late to stop this." Noob again held his hands up empty.

"What the shit guys!" Ren yelled at his compatriots. "You can't keep one companion off me?"

"Hang on, boss." Yates said, hesitantly. "Something's not right here."

"Yeah, he doesn't fight like an NPC." Cassidy added. "Talks too much, too."

"I'm not an NPC." Noob tried to explain.

The crowd murmured amongst themselves. Cassidy and Yates exchanged a confused look.

"This is getting weird; he shouldn't recognize that word." Cassidy said. "Maybe we should back off."

Ren's face had turned a beat red. Noob could tell negotiating further was a dead end. He'd humiliated the man in front of a crowd, and now he felt he had to prove himself. Noob placed his hand on his sword, ready to draw it.

"You want to puss out, then fine. I'll handle this." Ren pointed his broadsword at Noob. "If your boyfriend doesn't want to fight, I'll take you."

Ren charged again with a high strike. Noob drew his sword and deflected the blow. He took a step back, not taking the opening, still hesitant, but running out of options. He blocked a strike to his left side barely in time, when Ren followed with a swing that raked his sword across his chest. Noob took another step back, moving too slow to block another attack that glanced off his right shoulder. He deflected a thrust, only to have Ren continue into a swipe that cut into his thigh. Noob struck his sword out, trying to go on the attack, but his blade was batted down and a counter slice was dealt to his arm. As quickly as the red wound markers would fade, he would have another to replace it.

_I don't how to fight with this_. He thought. His health was almost in the yellow. _I can't keep this up forever._

Noob made a horizontal swing aimed at his ribs, but was blocked. Ren surged forward and shoulder checked him, trying to knock him over. Noob was heavier than his opponent gave credit, and was only pushed back a pace, while Ren rebounded awkwardly. Seeing his chance, Noob went on the offensive, landing an upwards strike that passed from Ren's left hip to his sternum. He followed with a downwards blow along the same path.

Not stopping, Noob made to thrust his sword at his gut. Ren gave an angry bellow and swatted it aside. Noob's sword arm was thrown far to the right. Wide open, Ren dealt a pair of shallow strikes across his chest, dropping his health low into the yellow.

_This guy's really trying to kill me!_ Noob thought. _Stop him!_

Ren held his sword close, point straight out, and lunged forward to impale him with it. With too little time to get his sword around to block, Noob twisted his torso left and leaned back, holding his sword straight out. Ren's blade slid along his chest, digging into him. Noob's sword punched straight into his left shoulder. He grabbed Ren's extended sword arm at the wrist and pulled him further along his sword, plunging it through him. Noob's life had dropped into the red, but Ren was unable to attack with his hand clamped around his sword arm.

Ren's health was still a full yellow, but was continuously dropping while Noob's sword was stabbed through him. He jerked back, trying to free himself, but Noob held him fast, pushing the blade further, sinking it to the hilt. Ren panicked, almost losing his footing in his attempts escape. Noob glared straight into his eyes as Ren's health edged into the red.

"Yield!" he cried. "I yield!"

"Drop the sword!" Noob shouted into his face.

Ren opened his hand and his blade fell to the ground. Noob shoved him away and withdrew his sword. Half the crowd was pleased by the unexpected turn of events, while the other was disappointed in the outcome. He retreated to his two friends.

"You want us to finish him off?" Cassidy asked, readying her spear.

"That hardly seems necessary." Someone shouted. "If you'd been paying any attention, you'd have heard the man doesn't want to fight."

Everyone turned to see Chie and her entourage pushing through the crowd. She'd replaced her casual clothes with ivory half plate armour with ornate silver trim, and had a large heater shield in her left hand. She stopped her group between Noob and Ren's party.

"Show's over." Chie called to the crowd. She turned to Ren. Her hand rested on the hilt of her broadsword. "I think it's time you walked away."

"You're gonna defend this guy?" Yates accused, pointing at Devlin. "What's our move, Ren?"

"I yielded." Ren placed a hand on Yates' shoulder to silence any protest. "And we don't fight green players. Let's go."

Disappointed, the crowd headed back towards town, with a pair of stragglers staying behind. Ren and his crew each pulled out a blue crystal brick from their satchels and held them high.

He glared at Noob and Devlin. "Next time."

With his threat delivered, they activated their teleport crystals and vanished. Noob let out a relieved breath. He summoned a health potion and quickly downed it, wanting to be as far from death as possible. He watched the bar in his vision slowly fill from red to yellow. He drank another when it stopped, waiting for it to turn back to green. Noob retrieved his shield and returned it to his inventory while Devlin scooped up the sword Ren had dropped. He had already donned another identical red cloak.

"Souvenir." Devlin said, handing the sword to Noob. "Yours now, big guy."

Noob sheathed his falcata and took the offered broadsword, holding it low and nonthreatening.

Chie stepped over, hand still on the hilt of her own weapon. She gestured towards Devlin. "So, is this him?"

"Noob," Devlin whispered, "who are these guys."

"I suppose introductions are in order." She held her off hand towards her party. "This is my guild:"

"Cedric," The green haired boy stepped forward. He'd changed into light armour, with smaller plates covering his chest and back, as well as his upper arms and thighs. His armour was painted a forest camouflage. He carried a spetum style spear, and had a pair of smaller javelins held to his back.

"Haruki," The muscled woman crossed her arms and nodded.

"and Mamoru." The short, portly bald man gave a shallow, friendly bow. He wore gunmetal grey scale mail with no sleeves, and wielded a katana.

The two stragglers from the crowd approached the group. Noob recognized one as the girl that'd spoken to him near the flower stand. She was in her early twenties, with relatively short, straight black hair reaching the nape of her neck. She was clad in light amber armour, and wielded a hand and a half bastard sword and a medium sized kite shield.

The woman with her had a very simple set of thick leather as her armour and had a short sword. She had blonde hair tied in a long braid that reached the middle of her back. Her expression was completely flat. She had no icon and no visible health bar.

"This is Amber." Chie pointed to the former, then to the latter. "And that's Brenda…She's an NPC."

"Hi." Amber smiled and a wave. She nudged the NPC at her side. "Say 'Hi', Brenda."

"Greetings, traveler." Brenda turned to Amber. "I will avenge my family!"

"She says that a lot." Chie said. She gave a short bow. "And I am Chie, leader of the Wayward Pact."

* * *

Author's Notes: And now the major cast is introduced. Thanks for reading; I hope you've enjoyed it thus far.


	4. Chapter 3: Teambuilding

The two stood next to each other, opposite the party that had just saved them. Noob was trying to look as nonthreatening as he could, while Devlin was obviously sizing the group up. They all either had their hands on their swords, ready to draw, or in the case of Cedric and Haruki, held their spear and axe ready, respectively. All eyes were on Devlin, except for Amber, who was staring at Noob with a curious expression. He cleared his throat loudly to grab attention.

"Thanks for the help." Noob turned to Devlin. "Put your sword away."

"Hmm?" Devlin responded. He held his sword up, as if he was just noticing it. Haruki hefted her axe and quickly stepped between Devlin and the bald man beside her. "Is that why everyone's so jumpy?"

Devlin itched at his masked chin with his free hand. "Wayward Pact? Never heard of you."

"We're the group that just saved your lives." Chie said. "And you should start trying to convince me on why I shouldn't regret that decision and turn you over to the Aincrad Army."

"Which, again, we are very thankful for." Noob replied. He turned back to Devlin. "Now would be good."

"Alright." Devlin conceded. He sheathed his sword and gave a bow. "You have my gratitude."

"And you have our names." Chie stated. "What's yours?"

"It's Devlin." He still looked ready to fight.

Chie looked him over, from his red cloak, to his face, half hidden by his mask, and then peered up at his orange icon. "Well, Devlin, aren't you just the picture of trustworthy."

"You're too kind." Devlin held his arm up to Noob. "And my friend here is…um. Actually, I forget what I called you. Was it Buttercup? You don't look like a Buttercup, but I'm drawing a blank here, man."

Noob frowned, about to speak up when Chie cut him off.

"We'll get to him; right now we're talking about you." She pointed over Devlin's head. "You can start by telling me why your icon's red."

"Would you believe me if I said it was in the pursuit of justice." Devlin asked with an innocent smile.

"When you put it like that, no, I would not." Chie retorted.

Noob nudged Devlin. He spoke in a low, quiet tone. "Quit joking around."

"It's not exactly a happy story." Devlin started to look distinctly uncomfortable.

"And you're starting to make Haruki an unhappy lady." Chie gestured to her friend, who narrowed her eyes even farther at Devlin. "She tends to break things when that happens. We're all ears."

Devlin gave a deep sigh, relenting. He broke eye contact, looking down at his feet, then to Noob, and back at Chie. "My guild and I, small group, partied up with another few players to take on a field boss. We hadn't heard of it before, but the rewards sounded good. Turns out they were spotters."

Devlin turned to Noob to explain. "Green players that lure other into traps. They party up, and lead you out into an ambush of red players to rob you."

"We didn't see it coming until it was too late, but I got away." Devlin continued.

"And your friends?" Chie asked.

"They didn't." Devlin answered simply.

Chie's expression softened. "I'm sorry for your loss."

"If any of its true." Haruki added.

"If you were defending yourself, your icon wouldn't have changed colour." Cedric pointed out.

"It changed colour because even though I didn't get the names of the red players they led us to, I had the names of the spotters." Devlin explained. "And afterwards, I hunted those bastards down. All four of them."

"What were their names?" Cedric asked. "Your guild mates, and how does this guy tie into this?"

"Xavior, Yukino and Zerrin." Devlin answered quickly. He looked up to Noob. "And I just met him yesterday."

Amber again caught Noob's eye. Through the entire exchange, she'd been staring at him. She walked up to Chie and whispered something to her that he couldn't make out. Chie nodded and turned her attention to him.

"Now on to you." Chie started. "We can start with the obvious. Where's your icon?"

"I…I don't know." Noob answered. He thought for a moment for the word Devlin had used. "I'm…glitched?"

"How long's it been like that?" Cedric asked.

"Long as I can recall." Noob tried remembering, coming up with nothing. "Yesterday, I guess."

Chie gave Devlin a questioning look.

"I'm as clueless as he is." Devlin shrugged. "I found the guy like this."

"And your name?" Chie asked.

"I..." Noob thought hard, holding his hand to his head, "I don't know."

"What happened yesterday?" Amber stepped forward. "You don't know anything before that?"

Noob held his other hand to his head, thinking hard. Mamoru spoke up. "Careful now, I think you're about to break him."

"This guy for real?" Chie asked Devlin.

"Far as I can tell." Devlin shrugged. "I didn't buy it at first, but half his menus are greyed out or missing, and his player data's blank."

Devlin unceremoniously slapped Noob in the back of the head, snapping him back to the moment. He held am arm out, pointing to Chie. "You okay? Just tell the 'em what you know."

Noob nodded in the affirmative. He collected his wits and took a deep breath, and started reciting all that he could recall. He started at the beach in the boss room, and led up to where he'd run into Devlin. He then explained how and why they'd come to the town. At some point in the story, Devlin had summoned the fruit he'd picked from the campsite the day before and began munching on that while waiting for things to catch up, while Chie's guild mates gave them a little distance and began talking amongst themselves.

Chie was hesitant to believe anything about Noob until he showed her his menus, at which point she became much more curious. Finally caught up to the present, she pulled Noob to the side to address him alone.

"I believe you." She said. "Though I haven't the slightest idea what could've happened to you."

"You've never heard of anything like this?" Noob asked.

"No." Chie replied. "Every program has its bugs, sure, but SAO's gotta be the smoothest run game I've ever seen. Closest thing to a glitch I've ever even _heard_ of was a minor bug with duplicating items through trades, but the system corrected that on its own in a couple hours."

_So, still no idea what's wrong with me, or even why._ Noob sighed.

He thought for a moment. "Why did you step in? For all you knew Devlin was a criminal, or something."

"Because I know Ren's the type to stab first and ask questions never." Chie explained. "This game's dangerous enough without us players picking fights with each other. I believe everyone deserves the benefit of the doubt, or at least the chance to explain himself, and from what Amber tells me, you weren't the ones starting that fight."

"So," Chie leaned in, "your friend. Do you think he can be trusted?"

_Friend might be a strong word. He's more like the only person I know, and I don't even really know him that well. Still, he did save my life. Then again, that was because he wanted my help. I'm not sure I trust him, either._ Noob thought. He met Chie's eyes. _Benefit of the doubt, huh._

"I can't verify his story before yesterday, but like I said, he saved my life." Noob answered. "If it wasn't for him, I would have died in that dungeon."

"Good enough for me." With that, Chie turned and walked towards her pack.

Save Haruki, whose watchful eye never left Devlin, the other three players and Brenda sat in the grass. They sprang back to their feet as Chie approached.

"Ok everyone. I've heard all I need." She said.

Devlin sidled up to Noob. "Please tell me you at least found Merlot before all this crap happened."

"Merlot's gone, and so are the other brokers. Probably going to lay low for a bit." Chie answered before Noob could. "You might have more luck checking another town or another floor, but I doubt you'll want to travel that far. You're welcome to join us on a quest if you're up to it."

"What?" Devlin asked, surprised.

"What?!" Haruki asked, more forcefully. "We can't bring a red player with us!"

"Way I see it," Chie placed a hand on her hip, "on the one hand, Devlin here might be telling the truth, and is down on his luck. Us helping him get his icon green again would just be the decent thing to do. And don't forget we could still use the extra help."

"But-" Haruki started.

"On the other hand," Chie cut her off, "if he turns out to be a lowlife piece of scum, then it's our duty to turn him in. We can't let him go, if that's the case."

"Bringing him with us could be dangerous." Haruki insisted. "I don't trust him."

"That's why it'll be your job to keep an eye on him." Chie patted her hand on Haruki's shoulder. She turned to Devlin. "So, you in? You'll get a fair share of the loot."

Devlin mulled over his options. "You're not going to give me a choice, are you?"

Chie shook her head. Devlin looked to Noob. "Alright, but he's coming with us."

Devlin leaned towards Noob and spoke under his breath. "I still need you to watch my back in case these guys screw me over."

"Of course." Chie said. "I admit he's piqued my curiosity."

Noob took a step back. "Whoa, hang on a moment. I didn't sign up for any missions or whatever. I'm not going on any quests. I just want to find out who I am, not go on some adventure."

"And where are you going to find those answers?" Chie prompted. "In town? Ask around until someone recognizes you? Hate to break it to you, but you didn't exactly make any friends of Ren and his bunch, and that's where they are. Ren's the kind that holds a grudge. Sveltheim's not safe for you."

"She's right, big guy." Devlin added. "Even if you decided to go to another town, you're assuming someone else can or even _will_ help you. I doubt you know how to get there, and take it from me, it's dangerous to go alone."

Noob's gave a heavy sigh. "Fine. I'm in."

"Great, welcome aboard." Chie shook hands with Devlin and Noob. She spoke to the latter. "For the time being, what did you say you were going by?"

Devlin snapped his fingers. "Noob! That's what I called you."

Mamoru sniggered at this, while Cedric cocked an eyebrow.

"Seriously?" Amber said. "That's an awful name."

"I can't say I like it." Noob agreed.

Amber stepped up to him, followed closely by Brenda. She looked up at him with a thoughtful expression. The top of her head barely reached over his chin. "You're really big."

"Uh, yeah, I guess." Noob conceded.

"Really tan, too." Amber lightly pushed him, and when he didn't budge, shoved harder until he fell back a step. She stroked her chin, thinking. "Heavy."

"He's like a big tree, just without the leaves." Amber said to Brenda. She smiled up at Noob. "We should call you Taiki."

"What." Devlin asked nobody in particular.

"Taiki." Noob parroted. He rolled the word around in his head. "Thanks?"

"It sure beats 'Noob'" Mamoru chuckled. He held out his hand. "Pleased to meet you, Taiki. Sound alright?"

Taiki slowly shook the offered hand. "I guess…sure."

"Great, now that we're all set, let's get this started." Chie said, sending a party invite to Devlin. "We've got a ways to go."

Without waiting for a reply, she turned and started walking. Devlin quickly accepted the invite and started trailing after, reading through the quest description. The rest of the group fell in line, with Haruki staying behind Devlin.

"Wait a second." Taiki caught up to Chie. "Can you at least tell me how far or where we're going? What's the job?"

"It's a fetch quest." Devlin said, still reading the quest details. He took on an irritated expression. "Looks like we're going somewhere past Schreidenburg."

"There's a small encampment north of that town." Chie explained. "We kill off the mobs inside, get the quest item from the miniboss, then give it to an NPC in Schreidenburg. Cedric, how far are we looking at?"

Cedric was consulting his menu, which was currently displaying the map. "It's a little after two now. We should reach town sometime tonight. We can sleep there and get to the destination by early afternoon tomorrow. Wait, no, there's some dense woods between the town and quest, probably a little later."

"Sounds good." Chie said, picking up the pace.

Mamoru gave a frustrated sigh. "Wonderful, more walking."

Taiki walked besides him. "Why not use a teleporter? Devlin told me there was some kind of fast travel system connecting the towns."

"You can only use fast travel portals to go to towns you've already been to, and while I can't speak for you two, none of us have been that way before." Mamoru answered.

"And I can't get into town to use it." Devlin added, closing his menu.

Taiki remembered the blue crystal brick he was carrying. He'd read its description out of curiosity the day before. He dug it out of his satchel. "What about these?"

"Crystals are pretty expensive, especially teleport crystals, so it's best not to waste them." Mamoru explained. "But they only take you to the nearest town's centre, or, in the case of red players like your friend, drop him outside the main entrance. They're really good for quick escapes, but in any case, we'd still have to walk at least half way there."

"Great." Taiki said dryly.

Mamoru nodded. "Yup."

Taiki looked over his shoulder at Devlin, who was followed closely by Haruki. She noticed his attention, and gave him a stern look. Her axe was sheathed on her back. To his right, he could hear Cedric and Amber quietly talking. From the hushed tones and the occasional overheard word of 'icon' and glance his way he figured they were talking about him and Devlin. Brenda walked beside Amber, silent.

Devlin abruptly stopped walking, causing Haruki to bump into him from behind. She uttered a few distinctly unkind words, and they resumed their march. After a minute Devlin stopped again, with Haruki again walking into him.

"Stop that." She commanded.

"Then stop walking so close; I can practically feel your breath down the back of my neck." Devlin said over his shoulder.

"Deal with it. I'm keeping you in reach." Haruki replied.

Devlin chuckled. He spoke in a low tone so only Haruki could hear him. "And _I_ can reach _you_. If I were to try something, are you sure that's the safest place for you?"

Haruki didn't answer, but started walking a few paces farther behind Devlin. Her axe now in hand, propped over her shoulder. Devlin gave a coy smile to Taiki, having gotten the space he'd wanted.

_It's going to be a long day._

It was at least shaping up to be a pleasant day. The sun shone down through thin, scattered clouds, casting lazily moving shadows moving across the plains. A nice, cool breeze sporadically blew over them. Some distance in front of them, the plains turned into rolling foothills. If one had to walk everywhere, the weather so far had at least been very accommodating for it.

Taiki opened his inventory and summoned a guidebook to the game. It was small, but thick, with small printed pages. With plenty of time ahead of him, he decided to learn as much about SAO as he could. He focused on the sections dealing with the game mechanics, combat mechanics mostly. If he was going to be stuck storming an encampment, it would probably be best to be more knowledgeable in that field than not knowing anything at all. Coming to the page that explained sword skills, he opened his menu, searching for his player stats. While his personal data was blank, he still had a list of available sword skills that had been unlocked or learned on another tab. He was engrossed in studying the motions needed to activate them when he heard Chie call him.

"Huh?" He looked up, noticing that everyone had stopped.

"I said we're taking a few minutes." Chie said.

Taiki glanced at the clock in his HUD; they'd been walking for nearly three hours already. Most everyone had taken a seat on the ground, resting their feet. Cedric had actually summoned a wooden chair from his inventory to sit in, and looked to be sketching a flower that he'd picked. Amber and Brenda had split off a little from everyone else, with the former redoing the braid in the NPC's hair. Haruki was still standing, looking impatient and ready to resume their march whenever everyone else was.

Taiki wasn't particularly tired, but sat down and returned his attention to his guide book. He stopped when a shadow was cast over him, turning to see Devlin looking over his shoulder.

"Brushing up on your fighting know how?" Devlin observed.

Taiki nodded. "That Ren guy could have killed me. I need to know more about how this works."

"It works like it you'd think it would; you hit a guy with the sharper bits, and they get hurt." Devlin quipped. "Sword skills are just another layer of complexity on top of that. It's not something I'd want to learn from the guidebook, though."

Devin pondered for a moment. "Actually, come with me. We're going to do some training."

Taiki pulled himself to his feet and followed after Devlin, who had walked over to Chie.

"We're going on ahead." Devlin said simply. "Gonna hunt some mobs."

"Why?" Chie asked. "And why should I let you out of sight?"

"Going to train Taiki on some field mobs." Devlin answered. "He's got good reflexes, but not much beyond that. If you're going to bring him into a combat quest, it'd probably be a good idea to make sure he can hold his own."

Chie thought on this a moment. "Fine, but you're taking Haruki with you."

Chie looked past Devlin to Haruki. "Take Cedric, too."

Haruki nodded, and left to fetch her guild mate.

"I'm trusting you not to stab us in the back, here." Chie stated.

Devlin nodded. "Thanks."

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The four had been walking ahead for a few minutes, searching for any field mobs. Devlin and Taiki walked besides each other, with Haruki and Cedric tailing behind. The latter two were speaking in hushed tones to each other, while Devlin lectured Taiki.

"Ok, damage is based mainly on your weapon, and is then affected by your level and stats." Devlin explained. "Sword skills will then add their own base damage, or have a multiplier."

"So, I should always try and use sword skills?" Taiki asked.

"No. I'm sure some people would disagree with that, but no." Devlin answered. "Sword skills have the benefit of dealing more damage than just hitting someone with your weapon, and some tie into your speed stats to move quicker than most people could ever hope to on their own. However, they also have some drawbacks."

Devlin stopped at the top of a foothill, scanning the surrounding area for anything. "Every skill has an activation pose. If you know the poses, you know the strike someone's about to use, making it easier for you to dodge or counter it. Then, even if you land your strike, there's a moment after a skill where your body goes rigid. This is the part of the game's balance, so when that happens to you, don't freak out, it's normal. Anyways, during that moment, you're completely vulnerable. Skills also have a cool down timer, limiting their use. My sword can block an attack if I put it in its way, but if I use the guard skill, I have to wait a few seconds to use it again, though the skill allows me to block heavier attacks than I'd physically be able to."

Taiki simply nodded, allowing Devlin to continue.

"Sword skills are all about numbers, but SAO is also a true skill based MMO." Devlin pulled out his sword and swung it a few times. "I can swing this as fast as my arm will move it, with no cool downs or other interference. I choose where it goes, so my opponent will have that much more trouble trying to figure out where it's going."

"So, I shouldn't use sword skills too much?" Taiki asked.

"I'm saying to keep a balance." Devlin said. "A sword skill is good for an opening move, for instance, or a finisher. In the middle of a fight, though, the best balance I find is to fight using your own ability, and using sword skills when the opportunity arises. Not using any skills will put you at a disadvantage in a fight, while relying on them too much will make you predictable and your attacks too spaced out."

Devlin spotted a small pack of wolves not too far away. "Ah, there we are. Now let's go put those words to practice. I'll make sure our watchers stay of the way, and I'll step in if it looks like you need saving."

Taiki drew his sword. "Thanks for all the help. I appreciate the pointers."

"Hey, don't worry about it. Like I said, need to make sure you can hold your own." Devlin smiled, starting towards the pack of wolves. "Can't bring a liability into a combat quest."

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The pair stood at the top of a foothill, watching Taiki attack the wolves, with Devlin shouting instructions or admonitions from the sidelines. Haruki kept an attentive eye, frequently scanning the surrounding area, while Cedric was getting obviously bored.

"I don't like this." Haruki said. "He might be splitting us up."

"I don't either, but you're getting paranoid again." Cedric held his spear upright and planted the butt of it into the ground. "You need to relax a little."

"I'll relax once they're gone." Haruki replied. She turned to Cedric, who had summoned his wooden chair and was sat down, his sketchpad in hand. "Seriously? We're supposed to be keeping an eye on them."

"And I'm sure you've got that covered." Cedric didn't look up. "Chie wouldn't have sent me along if she was expecting trouble; she'd've had you bring Amber."

"And you trust them?" Haruki pointed to the two.

"Of course not," Cedric answered, "but I trust Chie's judgment."

Haruki gave a huff and crossed her arms. "Should never have brought them along."

Cedric made no reply, continuing in his sketches. "So, everyone knows your opinion of Devlin, but what do you think of his friend?"

Haruki focused her attention on Taiki, in time to see him get pounced on by a wolf. "I don't know about him. He seems earnest, but I don't like him not having an icon. If I didn't see him open his menu I'd still think he was just a sophisticated NPC."

Cedric chuckled. "Yeah, and Amber's little hanger on is creepy enough."

Haruki cracked a smile. "Don't get me started on that one."

"I will a-venge my fa-mi-ly." Cedric said, moving his arms robotically, eliciting a quick laugh from Haruki. Below them, Taiki had managed to roll on top of the wolf, and was punching it repeatedly in the face while Devlin shouted from the side to use his sword. "But I hear you; I'm not sure what to make of that one either."

Haruki sighed and leaned against Cedric's chair, causing the wood to creak in protest. "How long do we have to be out here?"

"Until they're out of wolves, I guess." He looked up, seeing Devlin and Taiki headed back their way. He stood up and plucked his spear from the ground. "Which seems to be now."

Taiki was out of breath, and had his health edging into the yellow. Devlin had an amused grin across his face.

"Have a good time?" Cedric asked.

"I punched a dog to death." Taiki answered deadpan with a frown. "Not really sure how I feel about that."

"A wolf, not a dog. A wolf that was gnawing at your face, and not even a real wolf. Totally guilt free." Devlin corrected with a laugh. "I keep telling you, everything's fake, just real enough to kill you."

"Poetic." Cedric commented sardonically. "Are we done here?"

Taiki nodded in the affirmative, and Cedric returned his chair to his inventory. They were about to head out when he heard a soft pinging noise. He opened his menu and tabbed over to his messages. "Chie says they've already started moving. She says to meet her at Schreidenburg."

"So, let's go." Haruki said.

"Lead on, ladies." Devlin said, to Cedric's annoyance.

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"They sure are taking their time." Mamoru said.

"I'm sure everything's fine." Amber replied.

"I'm not worried," Mamoru clarified, "their just taking a while."

The three were waiting about a quarter of a kilometer from the main gates of Schreidenburg. It wouldn't be long until the sun set, and they'd wanted to check into the inn before nightfall. Haruki would no doubt be annoyed at having split the team, but as nothing had come of it, Chie wasn't too worried about it.

"You think those two will be much use?" Mamoru asked.

"From what I saw, Devlin's pretty fast, but I didn't see him really defend himself, so I can't say too much." Amber answered. "The big guy's pretty good with his fists, but didn't do so well when he had to use his sword."

"Combat roles?" Mamoru sat down in the grass, watching the clouds drift by.

"Probably a damage dealer for Devlin." Amber said. "Taiki might make a good tank. Seems pretty strong, and it's not often we find someone as big as your wife."

Amber held her hand to her mouth, realizing too late how that must have sounded. "I mean, Haruki's a pretty thick lady. I mean, she's all muscle-ey. She's just…you know what I mean."

"I'm sure she'd consider that a compliment." Mamoru smiled. "And yet we still can't find a girl prettier than Cedric."

The trio laughed at this, while Brenda continued to cycle through idle animations.

"So, what do you guy's make of Taiki's icon and health bar being missing? That's so weird, right?" Amber asked.

"I've got no answers, there." Chie said. Mamoru just shrugged. "I just want to get this quest done. I'll decide if I want to worry about that later."

Amber cocked her eyebrows. "You're not the least bit curious?"

"I'm plenty curious, but there's nothing I can think of for it, so I'm not dwelling on it." Chie explained. "One thing at a time. Quest now, maybe mystery later."

"Here they come." Mamoru pointed out.

They saw the four making their approach, and the two groups reunited. It was revealed that Chie had already rented a couple rooms at an inn, and they were eager to get to them.

"Guess I'll sleep out here." Devlin said, summoning his tarp and laying it on the ground. "I am so not going to miss this."

Taiki figured he'd be spending the night here, as well, and was likewise setting up a sleeping area for himself.

"Do I have to stay out here, too?" Haruki asked Chie.

"I'll leave that to your discretion." She replied. "I need Mamoru in town to see what information he can scrounge up about the area."

Haruki appeared to be weighing the options of keeping an eye on Devlin, or sleeping in a comfortable bed in town. She locked eyes with Cedric.

He held up his hands. "Don't look at me, I'm no camper."

"I'll join you." Amber chimed in. "I can set Brenda to guard mode to keep watch."

"Good idea." Chie said.

Haruki nodded in appreciation, and the two started setting up camp, while the others disappeared into town. Taiki watched Devlin construct his sleeping are in the side of his vision. The red haired, cloaked man had summoned a sleeping roll, but instead of unpacking it, kept it bundled and used it as a large pillow. Like the night before, his cloak was his only blanket, and laying against the bedroll had him propped up almost in a sitting position. His khopesh was drawn and placed across his lap. Haruki unrolled her bedroll, but after finding it was too small to contain her and her bulky armour, resigned to spending the night on top of it. She cast a quick irate glance at Amber's roll, which was easily large enough to comfortably fit two people. Taiki watched the camp unfold with a measure of bemusement. Haruki was likely to proud to ask for the larger roll, but refused to remove her armour. Likewise, with Devlin not constrained by any sleeping arrangements, she may have felt the need to likewise be ready for a fight.

Once camp was made, Amber gave a command to Brenda, who walked a few paces away and took a defensive stance, staring blankly into the distance. She then made her way to her Taiki, who was sitting on top of his open sleeping bag, staring up at the bottom of the next floor up.

She followed his gaze. "Whatcha lookin' at?"

"Nothing, I guess." Taiki replied thoughtfully. "Just staring off into space, or, the ceiling, I guess. Wondering if the stars are the same on every floor."

Amber nestled into her own lavender sleeping roll. "Yup, they are. . If you camp out on the map's edge, you can see the real sky. Well, the real _fake_ sky. Point is you can look out and see stars and open sky stretching out as far as you can see. It's a beautiful view."

She rolled onto her stomach so she could look his way, her chin resting on her pillow. "So, what do you plan on doing after we're done with our fetch quest?"

Taiki laid down, folding his sleeping roll over him. He shrugged. "I don't know. I want to say 'Figure out who I am,' but I wouldn't even know where to start."

"Well, I'm sure we'll figure something about." Amber said, rolling back over. "Just try not to die before then."

Taiki was thinking on Amber's choice of words when he heard Haruki walk into the center of camp. She summoned a fire starter kit and knelt down to light it when Devlin spoke up.

"That's a bad idea." Devlin said, not opening his eyes.

"A fire will keep away the field mobs." Haruki replied.

"I know, and it's a beacon for the stuff that's _actually _dangerous." Devlin said.

"There aren't any field mobs attracted to campfires." Haruki countered. "Not around here, anyways."

"I wasn't talking about any mobs." Devlin explained, shifting slightly against his bedroll. "Might as well have a neon sign that says 'Here we are. We're probably asleep and off guard. Please, come slit our throats.'"

Haruki paused, then returned the kit to her inventory, conceding the point. She laid down on her sleeping bag, clearly displeased with a night in the open air. "I suppose you'd know all about that. That why you're a red player?"

"Your attempts at interrogation are adorable, but no." Devlin replied. "I've seen enough campfires extinguished by uninvited guests, if you follow my meaning."

Haruki sat up. "Should I be more direct? How often were you that 'uninvited guest'? Should I worry about your sword in the night?"

"My sword in the night?" Devlin parroted back with a chuckle. "Are you coming on to me?"

"Will you two just shut up and sleep!" Amber interjected. "Argue tomorrow; sleep now."

Haruki gave an irritated huff and lay back down. Taiki rolled onto his side, looking to Devlin.

"Is it really that dangerous out here?" He asked quietly. "Are there roaming raiders, or something."

"No, we should be fine, just pays to be safe." Devlin said. There was a long pause. "We should be fine."

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With a growl, the wolf pounced forward. Ren sidestepped out of the way and struck out his sword, the blade cutting into the wolf's side as it passed. Before it could turn and strike again, he dealt a heavy downwards blow to its flank, emptying its health bar and killing it. Cassidy and Yates finished off the last wolf in the area and returned to him, Yates sheathing his rapier, and Cassidy holding her spear upright like a staff.

It had been more than seven hours since they'd been forced to return to Sveltheim defeated. The fight, and his unusual opponents, had been the talk of the town all day. Ren had been too embarrassed to stick around, and had taken his group out to farm nearby mobs. Ostensibly, they were farming for experience and items to sell, but Ren was more interested in venting his frustration on any targets he could find. The area consisted of rolling hills with rocky outcroppings, and was usually full of roaming packs of wolves.

Cassidy leaned on her spear. "It's getting late, Ren. We should head back."

Yates nodded in agreement. "Let's call it a night."

Ren did a quick search of the area around them for any more targets, and found none. The sun was just starting to set, and while the wolves would spawn more often at night, he was too tired, hungry and impatient to wait. Still, mobs tended to drop more loot and experience after dark. His two companions looked at him expectantly, waiting for his decision. Ren did another quick look around and still couldn't find any targets. He sheathed his backup sword; a somewhat shorter, duller blade, and was reminded of his frustration for losing his favourite weapon.

"Slackers, both of you." Ren said with a smirk. He turned towards town. "C'mon, dinner's on me."

Ren froze, drawing his sword and startling his companions. Less than ten meters away stood a figure in a dark green cloak. She had long black hair on the right side her head, with the left side shorn down to stubble. She had a sharp smile, and an orange icon.

"Sorry to have startled you." She said coyly.

"Who are you?" Ren held his sword ready.

"Name's Keiko." She gave a deep bow, the contents of her cloak clattering as she righted herself. "I'm here on behalf of my boss; he'd very much like to speak with you."

"You can tell your boss I'm not interested." Ren started moving around Keiko, keeping his distance and his eyes on her. "We're headed back to town, not anywhere with you."

"That's okay; we don't have to go anywhere." Keiko said with a predatory grin.

Ren cocked his eyebrows, the gears turning in his head. Realization hit him almost too late. He spun, swinging his sword in a wide block. Behind them, three figures had snuck up on them while their attention was on Keiko. Farther away, a fourth figure stood still, watching. He blocked his opponent's thrust and immediately went on the offensive. The man he was fighting was holding a jagged short sword.

Ren's opponent was forced back as he battered away at him. With a furious swing, he managed to knock the weapon from his grip, sending it flying into the dark. Ren hacked at his now empty sword arm, cutting it off at the elbow. The man backed away, stumbling over a stone. Ren made ready to stab him when he felt something punch into him from behind. He turned to his new target to face Keiko. She'd removed her cloak, revealing a light green gambeson and simple grey pants. Around her waist was a belt with enough foot long throwing daggers hanging from it to look like a metal skirt. She had a very thin, light build.

Ren pulled the projectile from his back and tossed it aside. She detached another and launched it. Ren batted it away, he stumbled forward as his previous, now one armed opponent, tried to tackle him. He spun, throwing the man off of him. Ren held his blade high and impaled him while he was still on his back, sinking his blade halfway into the ground. With his sword pinning his opponent in place, he proceeded to stomp on his throat until his life bar emptied. Ren could see that his companions had already been subdued, and were being held down, their faces in the dirt. Another dagger sank into his chest, returning his attention to Keiko.

"You're tougher than I expected." She detached another dagger. "Good, I was worried this wouldn't be any fun. This one's mine, guys."

The two charged each other; with Keiko letting loose another projectile. Ren swung his sword upwards, blocking the knife away from his face when a second dagger was thrown into his trailing foot, staking it to the ground. He almost tripped completely when Keiko reached him. Her knives had a short reach when held, but she was quick enough to dodge or deflect any of Ren's strikes. Keiko leaned back, narrowly dodging a horizontal swing aimed at her face, then blocked a strike at her ribs. She held her dagger in a reverse grip and made a quick jab into Ren's ribs. Keiki ducked under a swing aimed at her neck, and sprang back up, dragging her dagger through Ren from his crotch to his sternum, finishing in an uppercut to his chin.

Snarling, Ren yanked his staked foot free and landed a kick straight into her chest. She flew back, briefly skidding across the ground. Keiko spring boarded to her feet and drew a second knife, one in each hand. She sprinted forward and pounced on Ren like a cat, stabbing both daggers down into his collar. Keiko braced herself on her daggers, folded her knees to her chest and dug her feet into his gut before kicking off of him in a back flip.

By the time Ren pulled the daggers from his body she held another ready. Keiki started to charge him again, but stopped in her tracks when the figure that had been watching started clapping slowly.

"Good show. Very good. " He casually strolled over, stopping between them. "That's enough, Keiko; I can't converse with a corpse."

"You the one in charge?" Ren asked, catching his breath, trying to think of a way out of this. His health was in the lower yellow, and looking at his companions, saw their health had been drained to the red.

"I am." The man said in a friendly tone. His voice was smooth and warm. "My name is Shinjin, but please, my friends call me Butch."

Shinjin was wearing the most peculiar set of armour Ren had ever seen. He was covered from the neck down in a very tight fit collection of thin plates. The armour plates were snugly attached and fit around his contours. They were etched with striations and painted to give the appearance of exposed muscle. Apart from his head, he had the grotesque image of a flayed, skinless man. He was shaved bald, and had a smooth face with a short beard. In opposition to everything about his appearance, he wore what looked like a genuinely warm, one sided smile. His sword was held in a fur sheath on his back.

"What do you want?" Ren demanded. "Let my friends go!"

"Why, to speak with you, of course." Shinjin replied playfully. "I've a few questions for you."

"Piss off." Ren spat.

Shinjin's smile slowly faded. "That was uncalled for."

"I've nothing to speak of with the likes of _you_." Ren held his sword, ready to attack.

"Dramatic. I like that." Shinjin's face and voice took a darker tone. "Dramatic, but not very smart; you're not exactly in an ideal position. A demonstration, perhaps?"

Shinjin pointed to Yates. "Kill that one."

The man holding Yates down drew back his dagger and shoved it through his throat. He cried out, struggling as his health bar depleted. Cassidy screamed his name as his life emptied and his body shattered.

"Now, you're going to answer every question I ask or I'll kill the pretty one." Shinjin walked up to Ren, meeting him eye to eye. "Do we have an understanding?"

Ren gripped his sword. His instincts screamed at him to attack, but he could tell it would be futile. "Yes."

"Wonderful!" Like a switch, Shinjin's smile returned. He turned and walked a few paces away from Ren before spinning around. "It's come to my attention that you may have happened across an individual that interests me greatly."

"What?" Ren was genuinely confused.

"You met a man earlier today. I believe you two fought." Shinjin explained. "Is this ringing any bells? Taller than average man, carries an unusual sword, anything? From what I understand, he had one companion with him at the time."

"He a friend of yours?" Ren asked, trying to buy time.

Shinjin waggled his finger. "I'm the one asking the questions, but no. In fact I'd very much like to kill him. You're going to tell me where he might have gone."

Ren hesitated; he had no idea where the figure in red and his NPC went after he'd returned to town. "How do I know you won't kill us after I tell you?"

Shinjin held his hand to his chin. "Yes, I do suppose that _is_ a quandary. I give you my word that I will let you live if you cooperate. That's the best I can do, considering if you don't answer me I'll _definitely_ kill you."

"I think they went south." Ren said evenly.

"You're lying." Without warning Shinjin backhanded Ren across the face hard enough to turn him around. "Don't lie to me. I don't like being lied to."

Shinjin nodded to the man holding Cassidy down, who held his weapon ready.

"Wait! Don't! Please!" Ren shouted. "I don't know where they went. I don't know!"

Shinjin nodded again, and his underling halted his strike. He paced a few steps back and forth. "Your laughable little fight was interrupted by a group called Wayward Pact. I'm told their leader was looking for someone to assist them with a quest. As she did not return to town after, I would presume she took them with her. Where was she headed?"

Ren had overheard Chie enough while she was looking for an extra hand to have a general idea of where she was going. He'd never gotten along with her, but had no desire to point harm her way. He met Cassidy's eyes; she'd started weeping.

"An answer sooner, rather than later, would be much preferred." Shinjin stated.

"Schreidenburg." Ren said, his shoulders sagging. "They're quest takes them somewhere around Schreidenburg."

"That's wasn't so hard, now was it?" Shinjin turned to his underlings. "You heard the man; we've got some catching up to do, so let's step lively."

He looked to Keiko. "Round up the others, tell them to meet us on the way, but leave our listeners in town; I want to know what other details they can pick up about our quarry's new friends."

As if on an afterthought, he pointed to Cassidy. "Kill her."

Before he could object, Cassidy was dead, shattering into splintering polygons. Ren cried out to her.

"You said-" He shouted.

"I said I would let _you _live." Shinjin interrupted. "And I'm a man of my word."

Shinjin reached over his shoulder and unsheathed his weapon. It was a single edged long sword with serrations running down the entire blade.

"I also didn't say how _long_ I'd let you live." Shinjin said with a grin. "I'd suggest you run while you can."

* * *

Notes: Thanks for tolerating this fic long enough to read this. Lot of talking in that one, though I hope the fight scenes are worth it. In regards to Keiko holding two daggers, I have a bit of a headcanon on how that would work without being considered duel wielding. In a virtual setting, there's really nothing preventing someone from grabbing a second weapon, so I figure the game would have other effects to discourage it, such as disabling the use of sword skills while holding two weapons, or imposing some other penalty to the amount of damage dealt. Other than that, say hello to our first villain.


	5. Chapter 4: Onwards and Forwards

Morning sunlight streamed in through the open window, slowly making its way across the sleeping woman's face until it landed across her eyes. Reluctantly, she stirred, scrunching her face against the glare and letting out a groan. Chie stretched, slightly hindered by her bunched up nightgown. She opened her eyes when she sensed another presence. Sitting on the bed across the room, facing her, sat Cedric, already dressed in armour, sketchpad in his lap.

"Mornin'" He said, still drawing.

"Morning." Chie replied groggily. "What time is it?"

"Little after seven thirty." Cedric smudged his thumb over the paper, erasing something, before continuing.

"Why didn't you wake me up earlier?" Chie sat up, swinging her legs over the edge and faced Cedric. She looked around the room. "Where's Mamoru?"

"Looked liked you needed the sleep, and he's already gone shopping for map data. Said he'd meet us at the town gates." Cedric pointed his pencil to the nightstand next to Chie's bed. "Hope you're hungry."

On the nightstand was a tray with a steaming fillet of grilled fish next to a small pile of rice and greens. Her stomach growled at the sight.

"Thanks, it smells great." She dug into her meal. "It's really good."

"Glad you like it." Cedric folded his sketchbook closed. There was an empty tray sitting on the bed next to him.

"Where you waiting for me long?" She paused. "What were you drawing?"

"Nothing." Cedric started sliding the book under his chest plate. "It's not very good."

"Wait," Chie started around a mouthful of food before swallowing, "were you just drawing me?"

"No." Cedric answered simply.

Chie held out her hand. "Let me see."

"It's really nothing." Cedric finished pushing the book into the pocket behind his armour.

Chie curled the fingers in her outstretched hand. "C'mon, let me see. Before I decide if this is flattering or creepy."

Cedric let out a slim smile and dug the pad back out, handing it over. Chie walked over and took hold of it. She opened the sketchbook to the newest page, and was greeted with a crudely drawn image of a nightstand, with a tray of grilled fish, rice and greens sitting on top.

"Wow, this is, um, it's not _terrible_." Chie said, holding back a laugh. She reached out and lightly ruffled his hair. "Almost good enough for the fridge."

Cedric brushed her hand away and fixed his hair. He smirked, taking the sketchbook back and stowing it away. "Eh, you're too old for me anyways."

Chie stepped away, opening her menu. She selected her casual clothes and pulled them from her inventory and dropped them into her active equip slot, replacing the currently equipped garment. Her nightgown disappeared into pixels a split moment before her clothes appeared on her womanly frame. Cedric looked away with a light blush at the almost subliminal glimpse of her undergarments. She was now dressed in a simple olive green tunic that reached just past her waist, and a brown pair of trousers. Under both was a thin undershirt and short pants that would remain in place once she decided to switch into her armour for comfort, and to preserve her modesty for the split fraction of a second they would be visible.

_Nearly thirty and I still got it_. She thought with a smile.

Chie cocked her hips. "Clearly."

Cedric stood up and quickly made his way to the door. "C'mon, we should go. Don't want to keep everyone waiting."

Chie fetched any personal belongings she had in the room before following after. "They'll have to wait a few minutes. I need to get my gear tuned up a little."

The two checked out of the inn and made their way through Schreidenburg, looking for a blacksmith. It was smaller than Sveltheim; almost an outpost more than a town. It had the basics one could expect from any town; the inn, a general item shop, fast travel teleporter, quest bulletin board and weapon shop. The town was small enough and out of the way enough that there were no player controlled establishments.

The pair entered the town's sole weapon shop, the bell over the door jingled as it closed. A few other players were inside, impatiently waiting in line for their turn with the generic NPC shop owner. Chie skimmed over the store's displayed inventory, but nothing caught her eye, and she took her place in line while Cedric kept perusing the selection of spears. In front of her was a young couple that looked to be together, and a group of four. Like her, they all appeared to just be passing through, on their way to somewhere much more interesting.

The bell above the door jingled again, and Chie turned to see a lone male enter. He was about her height, at about five foot three inches. He had short, sandy brown hair and was clad in a light grey gambeson. A pair of long daggers sat sheathed next to each other on each hip. He took his spot in line behind her.

"Hi." He said with a friendly smile. "Longer line than I expected. Please tell me you haven't been waiting long."

"Just got here." Chie looked back to the front of the line, where the couple was trying to haggle prices.

"Looks like we might be a bit." The man said, following her gaze. He looked around the shop. "Not much to buy. Just passin' through, myself. How about you? Of course you are, stupid question. Little place like this."

Chie chuckled despite herself at his awkward stammering. He took her laughter and smile as encouragement and quickly ran his hand through his hair before holding it out. "Name's Zahnri."

Chie shook the offered hand. She caught Cedric glancing their way. "Hi…Zahnri. That's an, um, _interesting_ name."

"Thanks." He beamed, interpreting it as a compliment. "So, what brings you out here?"

"A quest." Chie answered simply. They all shuffled forward as the couple left the store and the group of four started their purchases. "You?"

"A friend and me came out here to hunt. Rumour is some of the mobs in the fields around here have some good drops." Zahnri explained. He took a more serious expression. "Not sure we'll be sticking around, though. We heard there've been some shady characters around here lately. Might not be safe."

"Oh?" Chie's asked with genuine interest.

"Yeah." Zahnri nodded. "That's what I heard, anyways. Might be nothing. You aren't out here alone, are you? I mean, are you a solo player, 'cause you're welcome to join my friend and me."

"That won't be needed." Cedric answered, suddenly besides them. Zahnri jumped at the appearance of the grim faced boy.

The group of four was much quicker, and left the shop. Happy for the interruption, Chie stepped up to the counter and asked for maintenance on her weapons and armour, handing them over. She absently heard Zahnri having a very one sided conversation with Cedric while she waited for her gear. A couple minutes later they were returned and she paid the smith. Once she had everything equipped, she excused herself from Zahnri's conversation and the pair departed the shop. He gave a noticeably disappointed farewell, bidding them to stay safe.

Once they were outside the shop, heading outside town, Chie playfully bumped shoulders with Cedric while they were walking. "Nice save there."

He bumped back into her. "Don't mention it. Guy was a little weird; felt like he was sizing you up."

"My knight in shining armour." Chie stroked her chin. "No, that's not right. More like you distracted him with an even fairer maiden."

Chie broke into laughter as Cedric shoved her.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Taiki picked at the remainder of his breakfast. A bland but tolerable meal bar he'd found in his inventory. It tasted vaguely meaty, but felt more like an unidentifiable grain. He rolled the wad of unappealing food around in his mouth, trying to figure out what it was supposed to taste like, and trying to decide if he didn't like it, or hated it.

_I really need to buy some better food._ He thought to himself. He swallowed with effort, the meal bar feeling like it was sticking to his throat_. Why would I ever want to buy this, and why do I have twenty of them?_

Across from him sat Devlin, eating his own meal. It looked like he'd taken a slightly oversized bratwurst and wrapped it in jerky, then rolled it in a slice of bread, and was dipping the entire thing into a small saucer of gravy. The 'Number 5 combo', he remembered him calling it. He looked back to his own meal and took another bite. To his right, Haruki and Amber were eating and conversing, the former speaking too low to be audible to them, and kept glancing Devlin's way, as if to insure that he was still there. Between the two women was the smoldering remains of a small fire Haruki had used to cook their breakfast. To his left stood Brenda, still standing vigil, facing away. Taiki wasn't sure she'd ever moved from that spot the entire night.

"If you don't like it, don't eat it." Devlin said. "I know I wouldn't; those things are awful."

"It's the best tasting thing in my inventory." Taiki swallowed. "Not that that's saying much. Why does everything I own taste so bad?"

"Yeah, I saw your stock when you were skimming through it." Devlin smiled. "It's because all your food is bargain bin leftovers. Horrible shit or bland shit; plenty of both flavours."

Devlin took another bite of his Number 5, pointing the remainder at Taiki. "It doesn't really matter what you eat in this place, so long as you eat occasionally. I guess you chose the utilitarian approach or didn't want to spend the extra money. Your first clue about yourself; you're either a pragmatist, or a cheapskate."

Devlin finished his meal, wiping the crumbs from his lap in an odd, momentarily captivating display as they shattered into tiny pixels on the ground in a quick cascade. Taiki looked sullenly at the remainder of his meal bread before dropping it to the ground.

"I'll give you fifty Cals for anything that tastes better than that." Taiki offered.

Devlin chuckled. "Okay, first, it's 'Col', not Cal, and it's still Col when it's plural, though I suppose a fifty Cal. would also be plenty useful in a medieval setting."

"What's a fifty Cal?" Taiki asked.

Devlin blinked. He waved his hand dismissively. "Never mind that. Second, and more importantly, my food costs more than fifty Col. Actually, more like a few hundred."

Taiki summoned the specified amount of money and handed it over. "This better be worth it."

"It's all comparison." Devlin took the money in exchange for a couple bratwursts and bread. "For example, the stuff you have costs about one to five Col."

Taiki hungrily munched on the purchased meal, while Devlin opened his menu and started re-reading the quest details. Once Taiki had finished eating Devlin looked his way again.

"So, you gonna tell me what's bothering you?" He prompted.

"What?" Taiki asked.

"You've been looking all sullen and down all morning." Devlin clarified. "Like a seven foot tall sad puppy."

"I'm just frustrated." Taiki answered. "I feel like I've been conscripted."

"Kinda makes two of us." Devlin nodded.

"No, it doesn't. Not really." Taiki replied, starting to speak more quickly. "I know next to nothing about where I am, apart from stuff you told or I read in a manual, I know nothing about myself, other than I apparently stocked up on food I hate. I've almost died multiple times in the last two days that I can remember, both from monsters and other people, who, I recall, mentioned wanting to try that again in the future-"

"Hey, see, you do remember somethin'" Devlin quipped.

"-and now I'm stuck marching with you people to go fight more monsters." Taiki finished with a huff. "And the only reason I'm going with it is because I have no idea what else I'd be doing!"

"You know what you need?" Devlin prompted before answering the question himself. "More training. You'll be less nervous if you feel like you're ready when crap starts again."

Taiki waved his hand. "No. I don't want to go hunting more dogs."

"Not dogs, wolves." Devlin stood. "And me and you can spar. Better practice than mutts, anyways."

"Is that safe?" Taiki asked. "I thought you couldn't fight without getting your icon stuck red."

"Nah, it'll be fine. I'll only defend, and I can take a few hits." Devlin smirked. "If you can hit me."

Taiki stood up. "I just ate. Shouldn't I let the food settle, or something?"

Devlin laughed. "Dude, you don't have a stomach. You ate it, it's gone, and a little status in your player data changed from 'hungry', to 'less hungry'. No more excuses; draw your sword."

Devlin unsheathed his khopesh. He looked over his shoulder at Haruki and Amber. "We're gonna spar a bit. Don't freak out, I'm not murdering him, or anything."

Amber twisted around to face them. "Kay."

Taiki pulled out his falcata, eyeing Devlin uncertainly. There were a few moments of indecision punctuated by Devlin egging him on. Taking a pose he remembered from the manual, the blade glowed a vibrant blue and he lunged forward, swinging the sword downwards in a neat chop. Devlin twisted and ducked out of the way, taking a hop a step back. Taiki held his weapon low, his blade shined again and he swept it upwards with a left tilt. Devlin pivoted on his feet and leaned back, the blade almost skimming along his entire torso. He performed another curt hop away from him. Devlin held his sword behind his back at his waist, blade pointing up along his spine.

"C'mon, big guy." He jested. "Don't even have to block."

Taiki swung his sword in a horizontal strike at his neck, and Devlin leaned back just out of range. He took a step and another pose, and once his blade was glowing struck out as his leading leg. Devlin took a simple step back. Taiki held his sword point out, and with the tip gleaming, lunged forward into a stab.

Devlin retreated another step, pulling his sword from around behind his back in an upwards parry. He wrapped his sword around Taiki's, catching the blade in his khopesh's hook. Once snared he pushed both blades high and twisted, forcing the falcata from Taiki's grip.

"You're using too many sword skills. I know what you're doing before you swing and you're waiting for cooldowns. For every strike you're posing for I could land three." Devlin chided. "Get creative, and get aggressive. And don't hold your sword so limp wristed."

Taiki bent down and retrieved his weapon, processing the lesson. He furrowed his brow, thinking on his next attack. He cycled through a few sword skill poses, before just holding his weapon ready.

Devlin sighed. "Don't got all da-"

His sentence was cut off as Taiki lunged forward with a sideways cut at his chest. Devlin leaned back out of range. Taiki reversed the blade and stepped forward, planting his feet. The blade glowed blue as he struck at Devlin's thigh on the return swing. Devlin quickly deflected the blow and was nearly impaled when Taiki pulled his sword back and struck straight out. Taiki stepped forward again, forcing Devlin back and chopped downwards at his collarbone without stopping to activate a skill. Devlin held his sword high and across, the blade glowing green with an activated guard skill. The armour along Devlin's sword arm shuddered from the force of the blow.

Spotting the momentary rigidity after using a skill, Taiki slid his blade around the khopesh and struck at his left side. In one movement, Devlin pulled a knife with his left hand in a reverse grip and stopped the attack, the blade glowing the same green.

He stepped back, noting Taiki's confused expression. "Different weapon types, different skill trees. Each has its own block."

He sheathed the knife back on his hip. "Gotta try harder, I can't exactly train you in a montage."

Taiki turned at the sound of light clapping. He'd almost forgotten about Amber and Haruki. The former was sitting cross legged on the ground, leaning forward with interest and clapping. The latter was sitting rigidly straight, studiously watching with her chin held high. Taiki took a deep breath, keeping himself from panting from the adrenaline rush.

"C'mon, don't tell me you're already out of breath. You're a friggin' giant; stop being such a puss." Devlin said, lowering his sword. "You're still a little worried about getting hurt, about hurting me. You need to accept that this is a game. Play it. I can take whatever you throw at me."

Devlin noted Taiki's deep breaths. "You think that's air you're breathing?"

Taiki paused, rolling the idea around in his mind. He took on a thoughtful expression as he considered the implications, wondering about the meaning and necessity of breathing air that didn't exist.

_The game has air; I felt the wind blowing before, but is the air…air?_ He thought. _Am I actually breathing when I inhale, or is that just a simulated sensation? Do I have lungs? I can feel my chest expand when I breath-_

"Actually, never mind on that." Devlin said, cutting off Taiki's rabbit hole of logic. "That joke was a bit old, and obscure and…you probably wouldn't remember that one anyways. Breathing's actually kind of really important."

"Oh." Taiki said simply.

Devlin held his sword back up in a defensive stance. "Now, stop trying to hit me and hit me."

Taiki raised his sword and advanced. He opened with a downward feint, prompting Devlin to raise his sword in a block. Taiki tried to redirect the blow to Devlin's left ribs, but his sword was deflected downwards. Reversing the edge, he made a return swing, trying to slip his sword under Devlin's and strike up into his armpit. Devlin spun out of the way, blocking another strike that was aimed at his back before coming full circle.

A thought occurred. Taiki took a pose and lifted his sword into a downwards chop without activating a skill. Devlin raised his blade to block, and the swords connected. Taiki stepped forward and shot his free left hand out in a gut punch. Devlin's free arm spun in and blocked the blow, the armour around his forearm gleaming. His entire body was pushed a few inches as his feet skidded across the ground.

"Arm's a weapon." He stated, deflecting another attack. "Melee block."

Getting frustrated, Taiki went on a more forceful offensive, trying to have each attack flow into the next. A stab, followed by a feint, followed by a low cut leading into an opposing high cut. He struck upwards, his sword scraping along Devlin's and going high. From there, Taiki attempted another heavy downwards chop at Devlin's crown. Again, he blocked, then twisted his hand, catching the falcata in the in the hook of his khopesh. Devlin slipped his sword around Taiki's, arresting its movement. Before he could try and twist it from his grip, Taiki surged forward, sliding his sword and arm through the inner, unsharpened edge of Devlin's khopesh. With Devlin's blade over Taiki's shoulder, he twisted his hand around, pressing his falcata against the inside of Devlin's elbow. He had a split moment to appreciate his surprise before dragging his sword up, cutting the blade through Devlin's arm, passing through at the joint and following with a punch at his unprotected ribs.

Taiki was about to give a victorious shout in his face when Devlin's sword arm fell to the ground and disappeared into glimmering shards. The khopesh clattered against the dirt. He met Devlin's surprised eyes for a moment before he grabbed his glowing red stump and fell to the ground, writhing in pain.

"Holy shit, man!" Devlin cried. "You cut off my arm! Oh shit oh shit!"

Taiki lowered his sword, shocked. He turned to the others in panic. "Help!"

Haruki stayed where she was, simply cocking her eyebrow. Amber was holding a hand to her mouth and looking away.

Devlin was still rolling on the ground. "That was my favourite arm, man! Get a tourniquet!"

Taiki opened his inventory, trying to find a healing crystal. "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry."

He was still scrolling through his inventory when he noticed Amber giggling. He paused, confused.

"Heads up." Devlin said.

Taiki looked back down, seeing Devlin had gotten back up to one knee. Taiki flinched as a throwing knife flew through his menu and over his head. His sword arm was still missing from the elbow down. Amber broke out into laughter, with Haruki managing a restrained chuckled let out as a cough.

"What?" Was all Taiki could piece together.

"I'm fine, I'm fine." Devlin waved his stump around, a glittering of red voxels falling out. "It'll grow back in a few minutes or so. Good move."

"You're okay?!" Taiki was starting to come down from his sudden panic.

"Yup." Devlin grinned. "You should see your face right now."

Taiki angrily struck his foot out, kicking Devlin in the chest and toppling him over.

"Worth it." He said with another laugh.

"I thought you were really hurt." Taiki stated.

"I was." Devlin gestured up at his health bar. "That little trick cost me a little more than a quarter of my life bar and my sword arm."

Taiki looked over his shoulder. "And the knife?"

"The final lesson for today." Devlin stood back up, brushing himself off. "Even when you break a wolf's fangs, he still has claws, and just because you take the arm off an opponent doesn't mean the fight's over. In a life or death fight, most anybody else would keep going."

Taiki mulled the words over. He looked over his shoulder. "You going to try and find it?"

Devlin waved his hand. "Nah, it was the one that asshole Ren threw in me. Wasn't all that great, kinda cheap. Can you believe the guy actually had it initialed?"

Everyone turned at the sound of footsteps to see Chie, Cedric and Mamoru approaching. They slowed when they noticed Devlin's state.

"The hell happened to you?" Cedric asked.

Devlin pointed his stump at Taiki. "We were playing Swordfight and he cut my arm off."

"Good job." Chie nodded in approval. She looked to the group as a whole. "We all good to go?"

After receiving an answer in the positive from everyone present, she stepped forward, pulling a scroll from a satchel at her side. Chie rolled it open to reveal a map of the surrounding area.

"Mamoru was good enough to get us map data and a hard copy." Chie pointed to a spot on the other side of a long but thin forest. "This is our destination. Turns out the encampment is inside a cave, so we'll be fighting and clearing room by room. There are two symmetrical paths, so we're gonna split into two teams and regroup at the boss room."

"I want Cedric, Amber, Brenda and Haruki taking the left route." Chie said. She spoke again before Haruki could object. "Mamoru, Taiki, Devlin and I are heading right."

"I don't think this is a good idea. I should be with the red one." Haruki interjected.

"I want a tank in both teams. You're going to be Cedric and Amber's tank." Chie explained.

"But-" Haruki started.

"I'm sure Mamoru and I can keep an eye on them for a bit." Chie said.

Mamoru put a hand on his wife's shoulder. "It'll be fine."

Haruki calmed at this, and gave a small nod to Chie before glaring at Devlin. "Anything happens and I'll rip your spine out through your ass."

"She could do it, too." Mamoru said playfully. "Won't even lube up first."

Devlin laughed. "Okay, I think I like him a lot more anyways."

"Speaking of tanks. Taiki, you're a big guy; I want you to be our group's tank." Chie said. She turned to Devlin. "You seem like a damage dealer."

"Tank? What do you mean by tank?" Taiki asked. "I don't follow."

"It means you charge in and get the attention of biggest, meanest things in the room while the rest of us kill off everything else." Devlin patted him on the back. "It'll be fun."

Taiki waved his arms in front of himself. "Whoa whoa whoa, that sounds like a bad idea. I'm not exactly a frontrunner."

"Tank's a simpler role to fill. From the sound of things, you're not skilled enough for damage dealing, and you're a big guy that looks like he can take a few hits." Chie explained. "You don't have to worry about fighting the larger stuff alone. While their attention is on you, we can flank 'em. You'll have the three of us to take some heat off you if you need it."

Taiki gave a deep sigh as he resigned himself to his fate.

Chie turned and headed towards the forest, just visible in the distance. "Great. Onwards and forwards."

With their journey starting a little after eight o'clock, and Cedric's assessment of arriving at the objective after noon, Taiki looked forward to another long walk. He didn't speak much for the first hour or so. He merely watched the scenery slowly slip past, and the forest slowly make its way closer. Taiki listened to tidbits of the conversations going on around him. Not quite eavesdropping, but just short of active listening. He figured if he was going to be stuck with these people, nice as some of them seemed, he might as well learn a little about them.

From the conversation between Haruki and Mamoru he gleaned that, while the former was distrustful of Devlin, the latter seemed more accepting. He also caught mention of himself; apparently his lack of icon had her uneasy, while her husband was more curious. Devlin made easy conversation with Amber, mostly small talk. Chie and Cedric were leading the group. He got the impression that, while Chie was in charge, Cedric was a close second in the pecking order. Taiki couldn't make out what they were saying, but he caught a few fragments containing his name, and one or the other would occasionally peek over at him. That looked like it was becoming a trend around him.

He looked to his right, at the only other person walking alone, except it wasn't really a person. Brenda caught his attention and turned her head his way.

"Um," Taiki started, "hi?"

"Hello." Brenda replied. "A fine day for adventuring."

Taiki tilted his head up to the sky. "It's really nice out."

"But darkness approaches." Brenda stated.

"Well, that's foreboding." Taiki said, more to himself. He looked ahead. The forest was much closer now. The trees formed a sheer wall six storeys tall, with a canopy thick enough to plunge everything below it in deep shadow. "Oh."

He made his way over to Devlin and Amber, clearing his throat when he'd sidled up. "So, long walks, huh?"

"I'd kill for a horse." Devlin said with a sigh. "I'm not even joking; I would murder someone for a horse."

"Can we get a one?" Taiki asked.

"No. At least, we can't." Amber answered. "SAO does have a few options for ridable mounts, but not many people have them. A basic horse costs more than any of us have been able to afford. If you don't mind a long walk once and a while they're not really all that necessary."

"I could appreciate the luxury of quicker travel." Devlin added. "Still, I understand owning some animals can be a bit of a hassle."

"If this is a game, why is everything so far away?" Taiki asked. "It doesn't make any sense to have everything take so long to get to. I mean, I don't really know what I'm talking about, but isn't that bad design?"

"Probably the same reason we're all trapped here; Kayaba's an asshole." Devlin replied. "But I suppose if we're shooting the breeze, I guess it's for realism. Most other games or MMOs have everything within a short five minute walk. You can practically see from one town to the next. SAO's virtual, so there's more emphasis on physical realism. You also can't walk at a brisk sixty kilometers an hour like a lot of video game characters"

"It wasn't always like this." Amber added. "Everything on the first few floors was a lot closer together. This is probably just a way for Kayaba to pad the game length."

"What floor are we on now?" Taiki asked.

"We're on the fifty first floor, one level below the clearing group." Amber answered.

The group arrived at the edge of the forest. The trees were packed close together, with an average of two meters between them, but the trunks were slim enough, about foot wide, for the woods to be navigable. Chie looked to the left, spotting another group entering some distance away. She waved, and after a moment, one of them waved back.

"I think they're the group from the weapon shop." Chie said to Cedric. "There's some ruins farther that way; probably where they're headed."

She returned her attention to the woods everyone was hesitating to enter. "Well…that's foreboding."

"Forest like this is one of the worst places to fight in." Cedric said. "Hard to fight with anything larger than a dagger without it getting stuck in a tree mid swing."

"Place is too enclosed for most hostile forest type mobs to spawn, though." Amber added. "Anything else in there is probably smaller passive mobs. It's actually a lot safer than it looks."

"You're assuming we're going to be the only people in there." Devlin added. "Red players usually like to hide out in places like this for the exact reason you just said. They don't like to fight in there either, but it's something to keep in mind."

"How do you know that?" Mamoru asked?

Devlin shrugged. "One of the spotters I was after ran into a place like this. Had a bitch of a time getting him out."

"The only player killer I'm concerned with is right here." Haruki growled.

"Enough." Chie said, just short of a shout. "Devlin, you mind taking point?"

Devlin simply shrugged again and entered the woods, with everyone following after. The effect was like walking from day into night, the canopy was so dense. Travel from that point was claustrophobic, but uneventful. With all conversations closed, the sounds of the forest were all the more noticeable. There was flitting above as birds flew amongst the branches, an occasional rustling in the nearby brush that turned out to be nothing more than a rabbit, or the constant sound of a nearby creek. Taiki stared up at the forest ceiling. If it weren't for the clock in his HUD, he'd have no idea if it was day or night.

It took two hours to reach the other side, and everyone was thankful when they spotted light ahead. Reaching the edge, their destination was in sight. The opening of a cave could be seen in a rocky outcropping in the side of a hill. Taiki could make out a double door being guarded by a pair of hunched over creatures. From their distance, he couldn't quite tell if the door was particularly large, or if the creatures were smaller. Taiki didn't know if they could see his group from within the cave, but he recalled the manual stating they wouldn't become aggressive until they got into a certain range.

After performing a quick scan of the area, Chie lead the way out of the forest and towards the cave. As they got closer, Taiki saw that both his observations had been true. The door was an impressive three meters tall, and the creatures next to it were barely four and a half feet tall. They had a humanoid shape, but an insectoid appearance. Their bodies were covered in dull grey chitin, apart from patches of brown fur covering their outer joints and back. Both of their arms ended in short forward curving blades. They were not unlike a mix between a small bear and a mantis.

Chie nudged Taiki. "You take these two; I want to see what you can do before things get too thick. We'll be here if you need a save."

Taiki was surprised by the suggestion, but after sizing up his targets again he started towards the cave mouth. He drew his falcata, gripping it tight.

"Might want to bring out your shield." Devlin called out. "Unlike our little sparring match, they'll actually try to kill you."

Taiki stopped, he'd almost forgotten about his shield after placing it into his inventory the night before. He dragged it from his inventory to his left arm's equip slot, and the shield appeared on his forearm. Taiki noticed his shield was a bit different from the other's. While theirs had a metal loop they stuck their arm through, and a handle to grasp onto, his shield was affixed to his forearm, leaving his left hand protruding, unprotected, but free. It seemed like a bad design, but he didn't know enough about the subject to judge it. It had a kite shape, long enough to run along his entire forearm, the 'top' of the shield ended at his hand, with the bottom point of the shield protruding a few inches past his elbow. It was a smaller shield, only a foot and a half wide, or almost forty six centimeters.

"Get movin' and get killin'" Devlin shouted, bringing Taiki back to the moment.

Taiki resumed his march forward. Once he was within fifteen meters of the door, the two guards starting hissing and charged him, blade arms dragging behind them. He could make out their names under their floating health bars reading 'Chitahn Grunt'.

_Ok, sword skill as an opening move_. Taiki planted his feet, letting them come to him. He took a pose and his sword gleamed. Once the lead grunt was in range he let his strike loose, cutting through it from its left shoulder and exiting from its right side. Taiki blocked its attack on his return swing, letting the blade continue to the right to block an attack from the other creature. He thrust his sword out, stabbing it into the right grunt, bringing his shield up to catch another strike from the left target while he pulled his sword back.

The grunt he'd just stabbed leapt forward and swept one of its blade arms along Taiki's chest. Resisting the reflex to fall back, he surged forward, shoulder checking it. It was propelled back, still in range for a horizontal swipe through its head.

_Use your own ability_. He swept his sword down, cutting through the knees of the left grunt, taking one leg off in a display of crumbling pixels. The creature toppled over onto the ground.

_And use sword skills when the opportunity comes_. He raised his sword, the blade gleaming as he plunged it into the ground through the floored chitahn grunt. It managed to swipe one of its sword arms through his leg before it burst into azure shards.

The remaining guard rushed him again, stabbing its arm into Taiki's right shoulder. He stepped his right foot back, twisting the blade free before striking his right foot back forward in a kick to the short creature's chest. Before it could recover his surged forward and impaled his sword through its throat. He forced the blade to the side, cutting its way clear of the creature and flowing to his left.

_And a sword skill for a finisher_. He turned his sword back to his target and planted his feet in a pose. The blade gleamed with an active skill in a horizontal strike. The chitahn grunt pulled its arm up in a block and deflected the blow.

_Or not_. Not letting the grunt counter attack, Taiki stepped forward, and with his left hand, delivered a solid punch down into the creature's crown with an audible crack. Its legs crumpled at the force of the impact, dropping it onto its back. The grunt was curling into a sitting position, getting up, when Taiki stabbed his sword down into its forehead, through the back of its neck. With a screech, it expired.

He looked at his health bar; he'd only lost a little over a quarter of its contents. The rest of the group joined him at the cave entrance, with Devlin slowly clapping. Everyone had their weapons drawn and ready for the battle ahead.

"Good fight." Chie said with approval. "I feel a little better having you with us now. Just remember they're called 'grunts' for a reason."

She walked over to the door, with a sword in one hand and a shield in the other, she gave a forceful kick at its center. The double door slowly opened inwards with a loud creek. "Let's go get the rest."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

A large panther slowed creeped along, panning its head back and forth, sniffing along the ground. The panther stopped as it found an object in the grass, lifting its eyes to its master. A short man plodded over. While only a couple inches over five feet tall, he was thin and lanky. He was clad in rough leather pants with patches of fur scattered across them. His shirt was simple animal hide, and his coat was a heavy black pelt draped over his shoulders. A pair of large hunting knives were sheathed on both of his sides, strapped to his ribs. He had a sharp, college aged face, with the beginnings of a short, scraggly beard. The panther was large enough for its head to reach his chin. He reached out and stroked his pet's ear while he bent down to pick up her find.

"Good job, girl." His voice was shrill and high. The panther gave a bassey purr.

"What did you find, Yarl?" Keiko asked, kicking around the coals of a long extinguished fire. "A throwing knife?"

Yarl turned the blade over in his hand. There was a small cursive 'R' etched into the hilt. "A breadcrumb."

"Sasha," He started. The panther's ear perked up and she looked back his way. He held the weapon up to his pet. She sniffed at the knife. "hunt."

* * *

Author's Notes: Another couple of introductions. Hopefully not too many. If you're seeing this, thanks for sticking around. This one started a bit slow, but I hope the pacing's getting a little better. Now please, I feed on reviews.


	6. Chapter 5: Combat and Trust Issues

The party followed their leader into the cave's gloomy interior. With a creaking groan, the entrance closed behind them of its own accord. Taiki's eyes readjusted to the dim cave, taking in his surroundings. The walls were rough, uneven rock of various greys, with small flecks of metal ores glittering in the light cast by torches ensconced every few meters around the room. The walls flowed upwards into a jagged ceiling almost five meters above them. Unlike the rest of the natural looking cave formation, the floor was a flat, smooth collection of polished stone tiles a square foot in size. They were greeted by the sounds of the lightly burning torches, the steady dripping of water somewhere out of sight, and the battle cry of the four Chitahn grunts in the middle of the room.

Without a word, Haruki charged forward, with Mamoru and Amber following closely behind her. Reaching the lead grunt, she hefted her axe in a sideways strike that entered her target at its left shoulder and passed through into the hip of the grunt standing next to it. With the head of the axe still firmly buried in the creature, Amber and Mamoru formed to her sides to deflect attacks from the other two flanking grunts. Brenda rushed to Amber's aid, distracting her target while she landing a series of strikes. Mamoru kept the remaining grunt on the retreat with a steady flurry of attacks, his katana in perpetual motion.

Haruki twisted the axe, tearing it from the creature's side, and swung it back through the neck of her first target. The second grunt made a stab at her ribs. Haruki pulled her weapon back and braced it against her left forearm, using the flat of the axe to block the strike like a shield. She swung the axe outwards, slapping the attacking grunt across the face. The axe continued its arc, and she twisted her hand to sink its edge back into the first grunt, finishing it off. Haruki turned her full attention to the creature she'd slapped in time to see Amber drive her sword into its head, killing it.

The room fell silent as the quick skirmish came to a close. Taiki was momentarily taken aback by the efficiency of the group. The entire fight had lasted less than a minute. Taiki turned to Devlin, about to comment, when he caught Devlin's expression. His eyes were narrowed as he appraised their travel companions, a look of uncertainty on his face. He quickly noticed Taiki's attention and turned his way, his expression turning to a placating smile.

"Impressive." He said. "This might not be too bad, after all."

"Uh, yeah." Taiki replied, not wanting to comment on the forced shift.

"Good start, everyone." Chie opened her menu, rechecking the map. "The split's in the next room."

The following chamber was much like the first, but unoccupied. In addition to the one they entered through, there were doors on opposing ends of the room. Against the far wall was a pair of small chests. Cedric quickly looked them over from a distance, and then collected their contents without comment. The group formed around Chie in a half circle.

"Ok, let's get this done." She said, adjusting her shield in her grip. "We meet up again in the antechamber outside the boss room."

The group split into their respective teams, with Cedric leading Haruki, Amber and Brenda to the left, and Chie taking Mamoru, Devlin and Taiki to the right. Taiki peered over his shoulder as they passed through their door, catching Haruki looking their way. She looked concerned, almost worried, sharing a moment with Mamoru. Her eyes flicked to him, threatening a split second before the doors closed.

"She doesn't like splitting up." Mamoru smiled up at Taiki. "Worries too easy."

Taiki looked to Devlin. "She doesn't seem to like us very much."

"No, not a bit." Mamoru confirmed. "I can't say I blame her, though. A red player, and whatever you are."

Taiki thought a moment. "You guys have much experience with red players?"

"Some more than others." Mamoru said curtly. "Let's leave it at that."

Taiki turned back to the room they'd entered, as empty as the one they'd just left. There was only one other door on the opposite end. Chie marched up to it, letting the others form up behind her before pushing it open. On the other side was a larger room, twenty meters across and five tall. Six Chitahn grunts turned their heads their way, as well as one larger creature that was just barely shorter than Taiki. It had over its head the words spelling 'Chitahn Sentry'. It was much like its smaller compatriots, but whereas the grunts had arms ending in curved blades, the sentry was asymmetrical. Its right arm was a longer copy of the blade arm, while it's left arm ended in a four fingered hand bearing six inch talons. They all screeched in unison and charged their way.

"Taiki, tank the sentry." Chie commanded.

"What?" Taiki replied, holding his shield ready.

"Attack the big one!" She shouted.

"Do or die, buddy." Devlin said with a jovial smile.

The chitahn were almost upon them, with the sentry leading the pack. Taking what he hoped wouldn't be a last deep breath, Taiki raised his sword and moved forward to meet them. The others followed, with Devlin to his right, Chie to his left, and Mamoru moving to flank to the far right. The groups collided, the sentry's sword arm glowed red as it arced upwards in a jab. Taiki pulled his shield up, his arm shuddering as the blow raked across. He followed with a quick stab into its gut, withdrawing his sword when he was immediately put on the defensive from the clawing talons on its hand.

Devlin sidestepped and ran past his first grunt, dragging his khopesh on the ground, catching it around its ankle. He jerked his sword up, dropping it onto its face, its momentum briefly skidding it across the floor. With his blade high, he flowed into a downwards strike at a second grunt. Devlin allowed himself to be pushed back to strike at the opponent still on the ground, stepping on its shoulders and forcing it back to the floor. A few offhand cuts through its neck and it was nothing but evaporating pixels.

Chie met a grunt head on, staying close enough to Taiki to draw another's attention from him to her. Her movements where balanced and conservative, never leaving her open enough for either enemy to press forward. A quick slash, followed by a shallow stab, never fully committing to a heavy attack, but steadily chipping away at her opponents.

Mamoru sprinted round the group, attacking from the side. He ran past a grunt in the rear of the pack, dragging his katana along its back, grabbing its attention. Continuing on, Mamoru attacked the remaining grunt, his sword slashing at its torso. His blade, not slowing, swept around in a quick arc and struck again. The previously aggroed grunt, having caught up, moved to attack him from behind. With an opponent on either side, Mamoru's sword swept seamlessly from attack, to defense. A slash to the grunt in front of him would swing round, over his back, blocking at attack, flowing into a parry and counter attack to the grunt facing him.

Taiki blocked a slash from the sentry's sword arm with his shield, only to have its talons rake across his face. He swung his sword right, too late to block the talons, leaving him open for the sword arm to cut through his leading thigh. Spotting an opening, Taiki hacked his falcata through the sentry's collar. He made to press forward with another attack, but the sentry jabbed its sword out, stabbing it into his sternum. Seeing the claws about to strike, Taiki kicked at his opponent's chest, pushing it back and dislodging the weapon.

Taiki quickly retreated a few steps, putting some distance between them. He glanced around the room, noting that everyone else was faring much better against their own multiple opponents. His eyes flicked to the health bar in his HUD; it was almost edging into the yellow.

Taiki took another step back, readying himself. The sentry threw its arms back and roared at him in challenge. "Ok, let's try this again."

He started towards the creature. The Chitahn Sentry swung its sword arm in a wide downwards slash as they neared each other. Taiki stomped his leading foot down, stopping just out of reach before closing the distance with a shallow cut across its chest. He twisted to the right, holding his shield up to his face to catch the clawing talons. Taiki then twisted his body back, slapping the shield across the sentry's face in a solid backhand, staggering it long enough for Taiki to deal a heavy blow that cut through its head. It clenched its talons into a sharp fist and punched at his gut. Taiki held his shield to his stomach, and was pushed back a step as the blow connected.

"That's how you want to play?" Taiki muttered, more to himself.

He swung his shield, batting down a strike with its sword arm. With his shield arm held low, he twisted his body as he drove his fist upwards, catching the sentry in an uppercut to its chin that jerked its head back. Taiki was about to thrust his sword into its chest when a blade punched its way out through the sentry's gut. Chie stood behind it, her broadsword stabbing into it from behind, sunk all the way to the hilt. The sentry thrashed about as it tried to free itself. Taiki quickly delivered a trio of deep slashes, the last punctuated by the sentry bursting into pixels.

"Thanks." Taiki waved away the panel informing him of XP and Col gained as it appeared.

"Don't worry about it." She replied with a smile. "Just be ready to return the favour."

"Not too bad, big guy." Devlin said, already waiting besides the next door. "Getting better."

The next several rooms went much the same way. They would enter, clear the inhabitants, and repeat, only running mildly different if there was anything to loot. As they pushed deeper into the cave, the rooms slowly changed in structure. At first, the only part of the cave that looked unnaturally formed was the tiled floor, but gradually, the walls started to take the same smoother appearance, and the ceiling started becoming more flat and uniform. What Taiki found most surprising about the cave was how linear it was. Most rooms only had two doors; the one they entered from, and the one they continued through. The only occasional offshoots were single rooms with small lootable containers or extra guards. Most of the side rooms weren't even separated by doors, just short corridors.

Taiki was at least grateful to find the Chitahn good to sharpen himself against. They moved slower than Devlin had during their sparring practice, and after a few fights, Taiki was pleased to notice he was improving. He couldn't really tell if he was learning, or if it was just coming back to him. Either way, it felt good to be able to hold his own against the sentries, with only occasional assistance. Still, after clearing a room, more often than not he was the only one drinking a health potion.

Almost an hour in, they came into the first room that looked fully constructed. The walls were flat, with the only decoration being the evenly spaced torches. The ceiling was the same square stone tiles as the floor, polished to a sheen. Looking up, Taiki could see a vague reflection of their party. After killing the group of Chitahn inside, Taiki dug his hands through his pockets, looking for a health drink. Realizing he'd exhausted all the ones he'd kept on his person, he opened his inventory to withdraw more.

Chie walked up to him while he was still refilling his pockets. "Careful running through those. They don't cost too much, but you don't want to overuse them and find yourself empty in a pinch. If you give it long enough, your health actually recovers out of fights. It's slow, but it saves money and potions."

Taiki quickly downed a potion, watching his life bar gradually fill back to full. "I'll keep that in mind."

"No problem." Chie said. "If you run low, let me know."

"Thanks." Taiki said, turning to Devlin as he approached.

"Forgot how much I hate fighting Chitahn. I swear, they have the worst drops. No good loot this entire run." Devlin said, frustrated. "Only stuff I've gotten is chunks of chitin and a couple potions."

"The chitin's for crafting." Mamoru called over, standing beside a small side door. "I hear you can make some insectoid armour, or something."

"It's heavy and it makes you look like a friggin' idiot." Devlin called back as the trio joined him at the door. "Seriously, there's antennae."

With a nod from Chie, Mamoru grabbed the handle and made to open it. It didn't budge, and after a another attempt there was a buzzing tone.

"Locked." Mamoru said. "Any of the grunts drop a key?"

Everyone answered in the negative. Chie checked the map; there was a single dead end room almost four meters wide and ten deep. Small, but hopefully worth the effort of getting in to.

Chie looked to Devlin expectantly. "Don't suppose you have a good lock picking skill? This is usually Cedric's thing."

"Sure, let's just assume the red player can pick locks." Devlin said, mock offended. He bent down, digging a set of tools from a pocket inside one of his boots. "I mean, you're right, but I just want to let you know that hurts."

After a few seconds of jiggling the picks, there was an audible clunk, and the door pulled open. Inside was a storeroom, with chests and shelves lining the walls. On the opposite end of the room was a larger chest sitting alone.

"I think we finally found something worthwhile." Devlin said.

Chie started to step through the threshold when Devlin suddenly grabbed her by her collar and jerked her back. Before she could protest, Devlin pointed to the floor. Just inside was a barely visible tripwire.

"Good eyes." Chie said.

"The best." Devlin replied, stepping over the trap.

The group entered after, and set to ransacking everything they could pick up. There was a wide mix of smaller items; mostly cheap daggers and short swords, as well as portions of subpar armour. Nothing as good as or better than anything they had, but Taiki reasoned they could sell it all once they'd gotten back to town. He came across a box full of bulbous pears, and after sampling one, was thankful to finally have some halfway decent food in his possession.

"Why is there a trip wire there?" Taiki asked, puzzled. "I mean, why would they trap their own storeroom?"

"So people like us would run into it." Devlin answered.

"But wouldn't that be dangerous for them?" Taiki asked, pulling a hide shield from a rack on the wall. "Seems like it'd be easy for any of them to accidently trip it whenever they came in here. Doesn't make any sense."

Chie walked past them, heading for the chest at the other end of the room. "I gave up on questioning that kind of video game logic when I was six."

"Oh, right." Taiki mumbled. "Game. Not getting used to that."

Taiki looked up at the ceiling, the tiles polished enough that he could almost make out his face in the reflection, and Devlin's reflection as he rummaged through something behind him. He glanced over at Chie, and with a sigh, returned to looting the shelves in front of him. Taiki paused, looking back to her. Something caught his attention, but he couldn't put his finger on it. Curious, he let his eyes wander, noticing what was missing was Chie's reflection. The ceiling tiles above the chest and the floor tiles under it were a slight shade darker than the rest of the room.

"Chie." He started towards her. "Hang on a second."

She popped open the lid of the chest and glanced over her shoulder. "Hmm?"

The tiles under her feet collapsed, and her boots sunk through to the ankle. She let out a yelp as a bear trap clamped around her left calf. Taiki broke into a sprint, a feeling of impending dread making a pit in his gut.

"Don't worry, I got this. It isn't doing much damage." Chie said. She kneeled down to inspect the bear trap, muttering a "Crap."

There was a loud report as the tiles above her cracked. A two meter wide square of stone tiles above her and the chest dropped from the ceiling in a foot thick slab of stone. Taiki made it to her just as she was letting loose a particularly colourful collection of obscenities. He braced himself to catch the descending trap, his head ducked down and his palms raised to his shoulders. He had just enough time to wonder if this had been a terrible idea when the slab landed on him. Taiki let out a grunt of effort as he slowed, then stopped the slab's descent. He tried shifting the stone to the side and out of the way, but there was a column connecting it to the ceiling, causing it to drive down like a piston. His knees started slowly giving under the strain.

Devlin and Mamoru ran over, the latter ducking down to try and help Chie escape.

"Holy shit, big guy!" Devlin said. "You okay?"

"Get her out!" Taiki growled.

Devlin squatted down to help with the bear trap. He brushed aside Mamoru's hands as he inspected the mechanism. He tried to force the jaws apart, but they'd locked in place. Digging out his tools, he frantically tried to disable it.

"Now would be good!" Taiki shouted, starting to sink under the pressure.

One of Devlin's picks snapped in the lock. "I can't get the jaws open!"

"Out of the way!" Mamoru stood up, drawing his sword. Chie leaned away. He swung at the trap, the blade rebounding off. He swung again to the same results. Devlin joined Taiki under the slab to try and take some of the weight. Taiki heaved against the stone slab, raising it a couple inches, before dropping down a few more.

"Cut her leg off." Devlin commanded.

Mamoru swung his katana higher, slicing through Chie's calf. Her life bar emptied a fraction, but the leg remained in place. After a couple more panicked cuts there was a soft chime as Mamoru's icon turned orange, but the leg remained.

"You have to aim for the knee." Devlin said. "Joints raise the chance of taking the limb."

Another pair of cuts, and Chie's leg crumbled from the knee down. She quickly scooted to safety.

"I have an idea." Mamoru summoned a pair of quarterstaffs from his inventory. He stood them on the floor under the slab. "Lower it onto the staffs, then get out before they break."

Taiki and Devlin relented under the weight, taking a knee as the slab rested against the staffs. Feeling the burden removed, they turned and dove out from under the stone. Taiki looked to Chie, who was sitting propped up against the wall. "You okay?"

"Yeah." She replied, heartfelt. "I owe you one."

The quarterstaffs snapped, letting the slab resume its descent. With a crunch it obliterated the chest beneath it into pixelating splinters.

"God damn, that was somethin'." Devlin stood, brushing himself off. "Not sure if I should be more impressed by your balls or your carry capacity."

Taiki propped himself against a crate on the floor opposite Chie, about to reply, when a thought occurred to him. He started chuckling to himself.

"What's so funny?" Mamoru asked.

"I just figured out why that trip wire was there." Taiki answered. "To make us feel safe once we were inside."

Chie waved her hand, opening her menu. "Message from Cedric. Says to be careful of trapped chests."

She broke out in a giggling fit at the absurdity of its timing. Taiki found her incredulous laughter infectious, joining in, just happy to still be alive. Once the mirth had died down, Taiki pulled himself to his feet and Chie hefted herself up enough to sit on a crate

"Alright." Mamoru sheathed his sword and gestured to her stump of a leg. "Guess, we're waiting that out?"

"We can't heal it with a crystal?" Taiki asked, confused.

"Healing crystals are costly, and the ones that regen lost limbs are even more so." Chie explained. "We don't have any of those. Don't worry; ten minutes and I'll be back on my feet, so to speak."

"Still." Chie grabbed a spear from a nearby weapon rack. She hopped onto one foot, leaning heavily on the spear like a crutch. "I'm starting to really want out of this cave. Let's move. We're almost to the rendezvous, and my leg'll be fine by then. I'm sure you guys can handle anything between here and there without my help."

Mamoru shot a look to Devlin, hoping he'd agree that they should wait.

"Okay." Devlin shrugged. "Lead the way."

Chie hobbled towards the door. After the fourth step, the tip of the spear skittered across the floor out from under her. She toppled sideways into Taiki. "Don't everyone help at once, now."

Taiki helped her right herself. He paused, then bent down to scoop her off the ground. Before she could voice any protest she was draped across his arms in a bridal carry. "If you don't mind."

She looped an arm around his neck. "Not if you're offering. Just drop me off if you need to."

Taiki started forward, their armour clacking together every few steps. Bemused, Mamoru and Devlin trailed after on either side. The next chamber and the one after were only sparsely occupied by a trio of sentries each. The threat was low enough for Mamoru and Devlin to deal with without Taiki's assistance. The group proceeded without much further conversation. He and Chie were watching the pair dispatch the occupants of the final room before the meeting point when she spoke up.

"Just want to say again I appreciate you saving my skin back there." Chie said.

"I'm just happy it didn't crush us both." Taiki replied.

"Yeah, that would've been sad." Chie smirked. "Survive all this time against monsters and murderers and get squished by a rock."

Mamoru and Devlin were fighting almost side by side, with the former's katana flowing in constant wide arcs, keeping their opponents on the defensive. Devlin would strike forward whenever an opening presented itself. Soon, the first sentry fell, followed closely by the second.

"Your friend fights pretty good, too." She stated. "Seems to get along well enough with Mamoru and Amber."

Mamoru blocked a blow, throwing the sword arm to the side and leaving their opponent open. Devlin thrust his khopesh past the remaining sentry's neck, then twisted his hand, catching the hook around the back of its neck. With a yank, he pulled it forward for Mamoru to impale it. Devlin batted away the sentry's slashing talons before swinging his blade into the creature's neck, finishing it off. The two ignored their post battle pop ups and turned their way.

"I know I've had some difficulty, but this seems a lot easier than I expected when you said you guys needed the extra hands." Taiki said. "With how everyone's doing, I'm not seeing how you needed the help."

"The mooks aren't the problem; it's the boss we were worried about." Chie turned to face him. "We should have a big enough group now."

Taiki stepped towards their comrades, but paused when Chie spoke up again. "So, what are you and your friend planning on doing after this is done? I guess you'll want to see what you can find out about yourself, but what about Devlin?"

"Pretty much." Taiki shrugged. "Amber asked me the same thing; what I was planning, but I'm still not sure how I'd go about doing it. As for Devlin, I've no idea."

Chie took on a thoughtful expression, but said nothing further. Taiki's arm sank slightly as he felt the weight in his arms increase. Chie stretched out her newly regrown leg like it had gone to sleep, rotating the foot at the ankle.

"Thanks for the ride." She said with a smile as Taiki lowered her to the floor.

The quartet passed through the door into the antechamber, where Cedric and his group were waiting, sitting in a loose circle on the floor. Cedric himself was sat in his wooden chair. They quickly got to their feet when they spotted Chie's group.

"Took your time." He said playfully, returning his seat to the ether. "We were about to set up camp."

"Had a slight hiccup with a death trap." Chie replied. "Damn thing crushed a good sized chest before we could loot it."

"We ran into one of those, too. Place is really symmetrical; pretty lazy level design." Cedric stated. "You get my message?"

"After the fact." Chie said, she held up a hand before Cedric could say anything. "But other than a brush with the great beyond, we're fine."

She pointed a thumb at Taiki. "Thankfully, he serves as a pretty good load bearing column."

The two groups meshed back into one larger party. Haruki made a beeline to Mamoru and the two met with a quick embrace. The latter summarized their experience in the storeroom, and, though still stone faced, she gave Taiki an appreciative nod. Chie and Cedric compared loot gathered and re-reviewed their notes on the boss room. Amber stayed on the outskirts of the reunion, looking slightly awkward standing alone with Brenda. Devlin patted Taiki's shoulder and made his way over to her, waving hello when she turned his way.

Taiki wandered over to the door to the boss room. The double doors were easily six meters high, and formed a rough square. It appeared to be constructed of the same chunks of chitin he'd been looting from the enemies he'd been fighting, as if someone had slaughtered tens of Chitahn and formed their hides into the entrance. There was a slight breeze blowing out through the slim gap between the doors and the floor. He was trying to peak between the doors into the chamber when Devlin clapped his hand on his back, startling him.

"You ready?" He asked.

Taiki looked back to the foreboding gateway. "As much as I will be, I suppose."

The entire party formed around the door, with Chie front and center. "Ok, the NPC we bought the map and data from was a little stingy on the boss details. All he would say is it was big and that there were some minions, so watch out for those."

"Taiki, Haruki, you two tank it. Try to cover each other. Devlin, you run interference if it looks like they need any help. Cedric, keep your distance and cover us from range." Chie said. Cedric opened his menu and withdrew a bundle of javelins until his arms were full. "The rest of us will take care of the mooks and help with the boss once those are dealt with."

With everyone prepared, Chie pressed her palms into the door. With a keening groan, the door gave way, opening inwards. Inside was a massive, albeit plain room. The floor and walls were formed of the same polished tiles and stone as before. The ceiling looked much the same, apart from being twenty meters above them. In addition to the torches lining the wall, there were several larger oil lanterns standing on wrought iron poles scattered around the chamber. Gathered around the lanterns were around twenty chitahn sentries.

On the far end of the room waited the boss; standing at nearly four meters. Unlike its smaller compatriots, its entire body was covered in thick armoured chitin. It was hard to tell if the chitin was its own flesh, or a suit of armour. In the flickering light, chunks of metal ore embedded in its armour glinted. Both arms ended in clawed hands, with foot long talons wrapped around a pair of dissimilar weapons. In its right hand was a great sword, formed from the same chitin as its armour. In its left was a mace; a long iron pole with a two foot wide stone sitting at the head. Each weapon was as long as Taiki was tall. Over its head were the words 'Champion of Elemyre', as well as a pair of health bars. A quartet of black compound eyes sat sunk into the head of a bear. It was bald, with neither chitin nor fur covering its head, revealing a long scar running over its right cheek.

"We're going to fight _that_?" Taiki asked, incredulous.

"We're going to _kill_ that." Devlin replied.

"Don't worry about hurting it yourself." Chie said. "You and Haruki just keep it busy until we clear out the minions. Then we'll all be able to take it down."

The champion hefted its great sword, pointing it towards the intruding party. Its mouth opened into a toothy maw, and its lower jaw split in two as it roared a challenge. The doors behind the party closed, and the sentries charged en mass. The champion started making it way towards them, taking long, determined strides. The great sword dragged behind it along the ground, while the mace was propped over its shoulder.

"Word of advice," Devlin started, "that sword looks pretty wicked, but it'll be the mace you need to worry about. Keep your eyes on it."

"Alright!" Chie shouted, waving her sword forward and breaking into a sprint. "Kill 'em all!"

The party rushed forward to meet the advancing chitahn, with Taiki and Haruki in the center, approaching the champion. The rest of the group surged past them towards the sentries, with Cedric lagging behind, lugging his armful of javelins. Amber was the first to reach the approaching chitahn, ducking under a high stab, tackling it. The two toppled over, with Amber quickly rolling to her feet, punching her shield out into a second sentry's gut, doubling it over and staggering it. She swung her bastard sword in a wide horizontal arc, taking it through the sentry from the hip to the shoulder, and letting the momentum and weight of her sword spin her completely around to swing it down into the head of the sentry she'd tackled. Without looking, she bent forward, ducking under a swing at shoulder height, and kicked her leg out behind her into the attacking sentry.

Brenda caught up, distracting a pair of enemies away from Amber. She made no attacks, merely defending herself and keeping Amber from being overwhelmed. A sentry swung a heavy blow at Devlin. He spun out of the way, continuing forward. As he spun past it, he hooked his khopesh around its throat, jerking it to the floor. With his sword low, he swung upwards, blocking an attack from another sentry before reversing the swing into a strike through its head. A third chitahn made to approach him from the side, but was stopped when Devlin threw a knife with his free hand into its leading foot, staking it to the floor. It bent down to free itself from the knife, when Devlin drew his dagger from his left hip and sank it into the back of its head, the tip protruding from between its eyes. With a pair of embedded blades occupying its attention, Devlin was able to focus back on the previous pair of targets.

Mamoru and Chie stayed together, with the former perpetually attacking anything he could reach. His katana would stab into one sentry, then slice through another before looping back around to slash into another. Chie balanced out his constant attack with a stout defense, blocked any incoming attacks or counter attacks aimed at the pair.

Haruki and Taiki were charging through the group, making their way towards the champion. The former letting a sentry's talons rake across her face as she shoulder checked it aside. Another sentry made to slash at Taiki. He raised his shield to block the strike when a javelin sank into its torso. Off balance, it wobbled sideways, trying to dislodge the weapon. Once it pulled the offending javelin free, another impaled its way through its head.

Taiki glanced over his shoulder, spotting Cedric. He'd found a good enough spot away from the battle. His javelins and spear were stuck into the floor in a rough group. Plucking one from the floor, he pulled his arm back and let it fly. It sailed over the group, plunging into a sentry that was trying to circle around behind Devlin. Turning his attention back forward, he readied himself for the coming fight with the champion, slowly marching to meet them.

_At least it doesn't look that fast_. He thought.

Without warning, the champion bent down and lunged forward, closing the remaining ten meters between them in an instant. It landed with its great sword stabbing forward. Taiki had just enough time to pull his shield up to catch the attack. He was propelled backwards from the force of the blow. His feet skidding along the floor before he nearly toppled over four meters back. It hefted the mace from its shoulder in a wide horizontal swing that scraped it along the floor, barely missing Haruki as she dove out of the way. Taiki pulled himself to his feet as the champion turned his attention his way. It surged forward, swinging its great sword in a straight downwards arc. Without thinking, he raised his shield over his head and took the pose needed to activate his guard skill. The great sword connected with a cacophonous clang. The tiles under Taiki's feet cracked under the pressure.

"Taiki, watch out!" Haruki shouted.

He felt the weight of the sword lift from his shield as he saw the mace being scraped along the ground his way. His body was still rigid from the guard skill. Too late, he tried to activate his sword's guard skill, and the head of the beast's mace crushed into him, sweeping him aside. Taiki felt his feet leave the ground as the room appeared to soar past him. The ground rushed up to meet him as he landed in a tumbling heap. He glanced up at his health bar; the single hit had removed over a third of its contents.

Taiki dug through his pockets for a health potion, to find that most of them had been crushed by the mace, leaving his pockets a leaking mess. Seeing Haruki still in thick of the fight, he ignored the damage and started back towards the fray. Haruki had managed to strafe around behind the boss, hacking her axe into its knees. With her too close to strike with either of its weapons, it lifted its foot to stomp on her. Sidestepping the attack, she swept her axe up into its crotch, producing a pained yelp much higher in pitch than one would expect for a creature that size. It bent down at the knees, leaping backwards and putting some distance between it and her.

This leap also brought it straight to Taiki. It spun towards him, dragging its mace along the ground again, leaving a trail of ruined tiles. He retreated just far enough to miss the swing, when the great sword hacked down at him. Taiki leapt forward, inside its effective range, and stabbed his falcata up into its gut. Retrieving his blade, he spun to the side, punching the champion in the side of the knee. The joint buckled, leaving it off balance long enough for him to slice his sword through its thighs. It lurched forward as Haruki collided with it from behind, her axe embedded in its back. Its first life bar emptied. The champion struck out its knee, catching Taiki and throwing him off the ground. The foot then kicked behind it, impacting Haruki and tossing her away.

Enraged, it slammed its mace down, shattering tiles into a cloud of crushed ceramic and let loose a roar that could be felt through the floor. Taiki was readying himself for another lunge when a javelin sailed over his head. The champion jerked back as it sank into its chest. Looking behind him, Taiki saw Amber jabbing her sword through the last of the sentries, finishing off the boss' minions. The party charged the boss, with Cedric throwing a steady stream of javelins. With its attention divided between attacking and removing the projectiles with sweeps of its great sword, the party was able to circle it, attacking it in turn from all sides.

With a desperate swing, it tossed aside Amber with the mace, sending her colliding into Brenda. Mamoru ran around behind it, launching himself into the back of its knee. Haruki swung her axe into the opposing joint, and the champion toppled backwards. It landed with a resounding thud and a splintering crunch. Chie leapt forward, landing atop its chest, stabbing her broadsword down into its mouth, turning it roar into a gurgle. The rest of the party rushed to attack it while it was down, hacking into it until its remaining health bar emptied. The champion shattered into a giant explosion of scintillating shards, dropping Chie to the ruined floor.

She sheathed her sword, grinning. "Great job, everyone."

"Brenda; fetch javelins." Amber said to her NPC companion. With a canned reply, she walked round the room, collecting any remaining projectiles. Amber glanced around the group. "So, who got the last hit? Who has the quest item?"

Everyone present opened their menus, scrolling through their battle logs to see who had received the item they were all here for. Only one person made no moves to check, and slowly, all eyes turned to Devlin. He was thoughtfully looking at an over sized gold ring held in his left hand.

"Signet of Elemyre." Devlin held the ring up, peering through the finger hole. "Guy had some big fingers."

He looked over the group. "What now?"

"Now we just return that to the quest NPC in Schreidenburg and finish the job." Chie answered, smiling.

She held her hand palm up and took a step towards Devlin. She stopped when he stepped back, her smile faltering. The atmosphere shifted immediately from post battle victory to wariness. Devlin's sword was still drawn, held low, but ready for a swing upwards.

"I mean, right now." Devlin eyed Haruki as she took a defensive stance. "Where do we go from here?"

"I don't follow." Chie said, equal parts concern and caution.

"Devlin," Taiki started, "what're you doing?"

"Just being cautious." Devlin answered. "I think I'll hold onto this."

"You can't get into town to turn that in." Cedric pointed out.

"Hand it over." Haruki said, sternly.

Taiki took a tentative step towards Devlin, sensing the shift in tone. "No need to make a fuss about this. What's the problem?"

"Apart from turning this thing in, this quest is done. They don't need us anymore." Devlin explained. "Not after I hand this over."

"What are you implying?" Amber asked, genuinely unsure.

"I'm saying I'm safe as long as I'm holding onto this." Devlin pivoted slightly, tracking Haruki as she took a step to the side. "Listen, you guy's seem nice, but I've done this dance and I'm not about to get stabbed in the back."

"How dare y-!" Haruki started to shout, but was cut off when Chie shot her a glare.

"Hey, Devlin." Chie took a slow step forward, her hands far away from her sword. "I don't know what kind of folks you've run into before, but that's not how we operate."

Chie shot a quick look to Taiki. He stepped up to Devlin's side, speaking softly. "Give her the ring, and we can finish the quest. Remember, I owe you until this is done; anything happens, I've got your back."

Devlin remained perfectly still for a long, uncomfortable moment. He looked to Chie, then Taiki. Finally, he gave a sigh, and flicked the ring over to Chie. After another long moment, he sheathed his khopesh, and the tension in the room started to drain.

Chie took a few long strides over to Devlin and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Thanks."

"Sorry." Devlin looked more than a little embarrassed. He turned to Taiki. "This better not bite us in the ass."

The party made their way out of the boss room. The walk back towards the entry of the cave was uneventful, but still tense, as everyone gave Devlin and Taiki a wide berth. Neither he nor the group allowing either to fall behind them. Chie was speaking in hushed tones to her party, sounding like she was trying to placate them. It was about fifteen minutes of silence until Taiki spoke up.

"You mind telling me what the hell that was back there?" He asked.

"I wouldn't mind hearing an explanation." Chie stated, sidling over. "All ears."

"Couple weeks ago I joined a party for a quest." Devlin explained with a sigh. "They were kind of pricks, but they said they didn't mind me coming along. Once we got to the boss, they shoved me in the arena and let me deal with it solo."

"Oh." Chie said simply.

"Thankfully, they overestimated the boss. It was pretty weak, actually, but afterwards, they took the quest item and booted me from the group." Devlin continued. "They knew I couldn't fight them without getting stuck red, and I couldn't get into town to turn it in, so I had to hand it over. Nothing personal, but I didn't want a repeat. Sorry if I made an ass out of myself."

"Well, you riled everyone up a bit." Chie said. "But no harm no foul. Now stop sulking over here and walk with us."

Taiki and Devlin joined Chie in merging back with the group. Apart from a derisive grunt from Haruki, the rest of the walk was in silence. It was interesting watching the architecture flow in reverse. As opposed to when they were venturing deeper into the cave, the structure flowed room by room back to its more natural form. The walls and ceiling gradually changing back from smooth stone and polished tiles to rough, uneven rock. Finally, they arrived at the exit. Chie pulled the door open, eliciting a series of irritated remarks as everyone blocked their eyes from the midday glare, quickly readjusting to the open sunlight. They started their trek to the darkened forest they'd passed through before, eager to finish their quest and reap its rewards. Taiki took a long breath through his nose, enjoying the smell of the outdoors, happy to be out of the stale air of the cave.

He looked down to Devlin, smiling. "Looks like things are finally starting to look up."

* * *

Author's Notes: First chapter with a larger number of combatants in one fight. Hopefully it didn't suck; was a little unsure how much detail to describe without it feeling slowed down by being overly wordy. Also hoping the pacing's a little better.

I guess this is the part where I awkwardly ask for feedback.


	7. Chapter 6: A Pleasant Forest Hike

The party strolled through the dense forest, on their way back to Schreidenburg. It was late in the afternoon, almost evening, but with the dense forest canopy blocking out almost all but the occasional glimpse of the sun, it was impossible to tell without looking to one's HUD. Despite the oppressive atmosphere the group's tone was jovial, on their way to complete the last leg of their quest. Chie and Cedric led the pack, discussing what to spend their cut of the reward on. To their right was Mamoru, chiming in ideas of his own. Besides him was Haruki, quiet, but for the first time Taiki could think of, looking relaxed. She occasionally glanced behind the group at Amber with a quizzical expression, who was carrying a quiet conversation of her own with Brenda. Taiki caught himself peering their way, as well, wondering which one had initiated the interaction.

Taiki craned his head up to the forest canopy, spotting only faint glimmers of sunshine peeking through. The trees were almost uniformly spaced, with an average two meters between each one. There were no limbs in reach, each trunk composed of smooth, faintly green bark, splitting into branches fifteen meters above them. Despite their height, the trees were at most a foot thick. The woods around them were quiet, but in the silence every small noise seemed amplified. Taiki ignored the group around him and let himself enjoy the peaceful sounds of the woods. It was a pleasant change of pace from the cramped violence of the cave. He could hear birds somewhere above, but could never catch sight of them. There was the sound of a creek somewhere nearby that he vaguely recalled hearing when they passed through the woods the first time. Lastly, there was the sound of something small moving through the brush. His ears perked as he tried to figure out what it was when his traveling companion brought his attention back to his immediate surroundings.

Devlin nudged him in the ribs with his elbow. "Hey, you there?"

"Hmm?" Taiki grunted. He and Devlin walked to the left of the group, with Devlin to his right. "Sorry, what?"

"I said, what are you gonna spend your share of the loot on?" Devlin repeated.

Nothing immediately came to mind that he might need. He shrugged. "Decent food, I guess. It'll be nice to replace the stuff I have."

Devlin cast a furtive glance back at Amber. "I wonder what they're talking about. I mean, how long can you chat with an NPC before you start hearing the same things?"

Taiki simply shrugged again, not sure how to answer. Behind them, Amber gave a mirthful laugh at something Brenda said. Suddenly, Chie raised her left hand in a fist and stopped in a slight crouch. Cedric immediately followed suit, whispering for the group to come to a halt.

"What's wrong?" Haruki asked, her hand reaching for her axe.

"Straight ahead, about forty, forty five meters." Chie slowly pointed. "You see it?"

Taiki directed his gaze towards where she was pointing. After a moment, he spotted the reason for the interruption. An odd creature was pawing at the forest floor. Its spindly legs connected to a body that looked to be an odd combination of rabbit and deer. Taiki wasn't sure if it was supposed to look adorable, or like a bastard of nature.

Amber crept forward to Chie's side. "Aww, it's so cute."

"It's delicious." Chie added. She turned to Cedric. "Think you can get it?"

With a nod, Cedric handed Chie his spear and pulled one of the javelins from his back. He slowly made his way forward, weapon raised, waiting for a good shot. Taiki turned to Devlin, about to ask what the animal was called, but stopped himself. He was staring intently behind them at Brenda. His eyes flicked to Taiki before he took his attention away from the NPC, who simply waved at them.

"What?" Devlin prompted, looking ahead. "Oh, hey, a drebbit. Ugly things, but they make a good stew."

"Nothing." Taiki replied, directing his attention back to Cedric's prey.

It wasn't long after that Cedric got close enough to strike at the lazily named animal without fear of hitting any of the trees. The javelin sank perfectly into its ribs, bringing it down. He quickly retrieved his projectile and returned to the group.

"Good shot." She commended, handing him his spear.

"Thanks." He smiled.

Not wanting to waste time, Chie quickly led the group forward again, resuming their march. Taiki started walking, but paused when he caught a flash of moment in the corner of his eye. Stopping, he turned around to track its motion, spotting one of the birds he'd been listening too. It was easy to figure why they'd been hard to see; it was barely the size of one of his fingers, and the same colour as the trees. Taiki smiled as he watched it smoothly fly upwards into the canopy. A crunch of leaves brought his attention back down to Amber and Brenda, the former of which was watching the same bird.

"Pretty little things." Amber said, looking back down to him. "You can find them in some towns on the last few floors. You should see them up close; they're wings are beautiful. Like glass."

"Really?" Taiki figured that would just make them look more like insects.

"Yup." Amber nodded. "Hey, do you mind taking the rear with Brenda for a bit? I need to ask Chie something."

"Sure." Taiki answered.

"Great." Amber turned to her companion. "Brenda, walk with Taiki?"

"Sorry, I don't recognize that name." Brenda replied.

Amber pointed to Taiki. "Follow him."

Brenda nodded in compliance, stepping away from Amber to him. Amber walked past Taiki, thanking him as she passed by. She quickly caught up with the group, leaving him with her NPC companion. She looked to him with a blank expression, almost like she was expecting something. There was an awkward moment's silence between the two, when he decided he didn't particularly want to start a conversation with the NPC, and turned to follow after the group, Brenda quickly taking a spot by his side. He took his first step forward, and heard three. Him, Brenda, and another.

Taiki turned around, with Brenda stopping beside him. He stared into the woods behind them, finding nothing. He closed his eyes, letting his ears take in all that they could. After a moment, there was a faint rustling. He turned his head to it, opening his eyes to see a squirrel digging through the leaves.

"C'mon, Taiki." Mamoru called. "Don't fall behind."

After watching and listening to the squirrel a moment longer, Taiki turned and jogged back to the group, his own steps a relative cacophony as he moved to catch up. He took up Amber's spot as the rear watch. Devlin made to join him, but Haruki refused to let him behind her. The next ten minutes were peaceful, though boring with Brenda. Every few minutes, Devlin would glance over his shoulder. Taiki could almost see his ears perk.

_So, it's not just me_. He thought.

"Brenda, follow Amber." Taiki directed.

"You don't command me." Brenda replied, with a hint of irritation.

Despite the objection, the NPC almost eagerly complied, rejoining her friend. Taking long strides, Taiki made his way to the front of the group, interrupting Chie and Cedric. The leader of the group noticed him first.

"What's up?" She asked.

"I might be wrong," Taiki started, "but I think we're being followed."

She slowed, peering behind them. "You see somebody?"

"No." Taiki answered. "Just something I heard."

"What's that?" Haruki butted in. "You say someone's following us?"

"I think so." Taiki said. "I'm not sure."

"I am." Devlin declared. "I count one person, keeping distance for the last thirty minutes, maybe more."

The party came to an immediate halt at that revelation.

"There a reason you didn't say anything sooner?" Haruki fumed.

Devlin crossed his arms. "Same reason as Taiki; I wasn't sure. Now I am."

"Maybe that other group returning to town like we are?" Amber suggested.

"No." Devlin glanced back over his shoulder. "This guy's been keeping a pretty consistent distance and he's straight behind us; wrong direction for the other party."

Chie thought a moment, sharing a look with Cedric. "Someone in town did mention there might be some bandits in the area."

Haruki's head snapped to. "And you didn't tell us?!"

"That does seem like something important to share." Mamoru added.

"We didn't take him too seriously." Cedric explained. "Guy sounded like he was just trying to flirt with Chie. Poorly."

Haruki sneered. "Oh, please."

Chie glared back. "_Excuse me_?"

"Hey." Amber spoke up. "How about instead of having a pissing match, we figure out what to do about the maybe bad guy maybe following us?"

"I'll tell you what we shouldn't be doing is standing here shouting about it." Devlin offered. He continued once he had the group's attention. "You don't want to the guy shadowing you to know that you know he's there."

He held up a hand to cut Haruki off. "Yes, this is also a topic in which I am familiar. You may now proceed with your accusations."

Chie gave a frustrated sigh, cutting off Haruki a second time, speaking low. "How far away is he? If he can see us, he probably already knows we're on to him."

"I don't think he can." Taiki glanced behind the group. "I could barely hear him, and the trees make it hard to see too far in any direction."

"He's not tracking us by sight, but sound." Devlin explained. "My bet is that he, or they, is hanging back too far to make out anything we're saying, but keeps popping in closer every few minutes until he can hear us and confirm he hasn't lost us."

"So, we just have everyone keep going, and leave behind a couple people to catch him when he passes them up?" Taiki suggested.

"Sounds good to me." Chie said. "Taiki, Amber, you two find a good spot. Amber, message me once he's passed you and we'll double back and catch him between us."

"You sure?" Cedric looked up at Taiki. "Big guy's not hard to see."

"He was sharp enough to catch on that someone was following us, and I trust him enough. No offense, Devlin." She turned to Taiki. "Just lie down, or something."

"None taken. I can respect your caution." He replied. "Either way we need to go before whoever is back there checks back in on us and wonders why we haven't moved."

Devlin opened his menu and summoned a camouflaged cloth that looked like a mesh tarp covered in leaves and mock forest debris. He threw it to Taiki. "Here. You're a bit big to try hiding behind the bushes; lie under this. Even if he detects the blanket, you don't have an icon to give you away."

Chie nodded, and lead the party back forward. Taiki and Amber quickly walked in front of the group a ways before turning to the right. Taiki lied down, draping the camo blanket over himself, finding that the holes in the front of the mesh were large enough to see through well enough. Amber found her own hiding spot out of his sight. After a minute, their party passed them up. They waited for about fifteen minutes when Taiki was starting to think this might not work. With the two of them split from the group, he reasoned they may have just made themselves easier targets. He was just starting to resist the urge to check behind him every few minutes when he heard faint footsteps to his left.

Taiki stared into the trees, searching for motion, and finally spotted a lone figure creeping along. He was relatively short, wearing a long open coat the same greenish brown as the trees. Underneath, Taiki could see a light grey gambeson and earth coloured trousers. He was too far away for his icon to be visible. His course was also bringing him much closer than he'd expected. Taiki held perfectly still as the figure approached, oblivious to him. Once he'd drawn closer, his icon was revealed to be green. He was five meters away, passing by him, when he suddenly stopped in his tracks.

The cloaked figure looked spooked, surveying the area around him. Taiki resisted the urge to turn his head to search for where Amber had hidden. The figure turned to look straight at where Taiki was hiding. He stalked forward, a curious expression on his face. Once he'd obviously recognized the camo blanket, his hand flew to his hip. With his coat out of the way, Taiki could make out a quartet of daggers, two on each hip.

"Stand up." The figure said, unsure of his discovery. "I…I know you're under there."

Taiki didn't budge, realizing he'd started holding his breath. The man kept his hand on his undrawn dagger as he slowly stepped towards him.

_He can't see my icon. _Taiki reminded himself. _Let him get closer._

The figure was right in front of him. He poked out a foot and kicked under the edge of the blanket. There was a loud snap of a twig breaking, and he jerked his head to the side, looking for the source of the sound. Knowing they were found, Taiki reached out and grabbed the man by the ankle, standing up. The blanket draped over him as he stood, lifting the man's foot with him. The figure gave a yelp as he was toppled over. Recovering from his surprise, the young man drew one of his daggers and curled forward to stab at Taiki's hand.

Taiki jerked his arm back, away from the blade, still gripping his ankle. The man gave another cry as he was roughly dragged across the ground. Taiki let go, taking a few steps back while the man quickly rolled to his feet. He eyed Taiki, sizing him up. The man was short, about a meter and a half tall, or around five foot two. His right hand held a dagger close to his body, ready to stab out. His left hand rested on the handle of another dagger on the corresponding hip. He pivoted to his right as Amber made herself visible, approaching from behind a cluster of trees, her sword drawn.

"Stop right there." Amber commanded. She turned to look up at Taiki. "I already messaged Ch-"

She was interrupted when the young man drew the dagger from his left hip and threw it straight into her gut. Amber flinched back, pulling the weapon from her abdomen. His icon changed from green to orange.

"_Dick!_" She looked to the blade; a thick purple gel dripped from the edge. "Ah, crap."

Amber collapsed in a heap of clattering armour. The man charged forward, stabbing at a surprised Taiki. He held his shield up, feeling the attack slide across it. Taiki followed with a backhand to his opponent's weapon arm, throwing it to the side. He started to reach for his sword.

_T_oo _confined for that._ He thought.

Taiki instead reached behind him, grabbing the camo blanket that was still draped over his back, and threw it at the figure. The large mesh engulfed the smaller man. Before he could throw it off, Taiki moved forward and delivered a kick straight into his chest. The man was launched back with a loud "Oof". While he was still on the ground, covered in the fabric, Taiki stomped on his wrist, trapping the limb. He watched the mesh for movement, and stomped his other foot on the opposing arm when it tried to draw another dagger. Taiki drew his sword and held it to the figure's throat.

"Don't. Move." He said sternly. He kept his eyes on him, shouting, "Amber, you okay back there?"

"Asshole coated his knives with a paralyzer." She complained. "Shouldn't last long; I'm fine."

The man, struggled feebly under the mesh, his feet kicking pathetically as he tried to free himself. After a few seconds Amber was able to regain her faculties. She walked over with a huff and kicked the pinned figure in the side. The two turned at the sound of their group running their way.

"You guy's okay?" Chie asked. When both answered in the affirmative, she looked down at the trapped man. "Good job."

"Let's see what you've caught." Cedric bent down and removed the mesh from his face. He stood back, recognizing the figure. "Zahnri?"

Zahnri turned his head up, the back of his head digging into the dirt as he looked behind him at Cedric and Chie. "Oh, hey, guys. These people with you?"

"What're you doing here?" Chie asked.

"Not getting mugged, I hope." Zahnri looked back down at the tip of Taiki's sword. "I'm not, am I?"

"No, we're not robbing you." Chie answered. She nodded to Taiki. "Let him up."

Taiki stepped off of him. The young man tossed the mesh off like a heavy bed sheet and took to his feet, wiping himself off. He returned the dagger in his hand to its sheath.

"The hell is Zahnri?" Haruki asked.

"This is the guy we met in town." Cedric replied.

"Okay." Mamoru said. "The hell kind of a name is Zahnri?"

"It's _my_ name." Zahnri smiled. He gave a sigh of relief. "Boy I'm glad it's you guys. Had me really worried, there."

"He an orange player?" Haruki demanded more than asked.

"No, no no no." He quickly answered, waving his hands in front of himself. "That happened when I struck your friend there."

Zahnri turned to Amber. "Sorry about that."

Amber tossed the dagger she'd been stabbed with to Chie. The woman appraised the blade and its residual coating thoughtfully.

"Paralysis poison." She remarked. "Effective, but pretty short term effects for hunting."

"I'm not much of a fighter." Zahnri explained sheepishly. "It's good for a quick escape."

Devlin held his hand out, stepping in front of Haruki. Chie passed the weapon to him. "Expensive stuff; single use, _extremely _high effect chance. Costs more than anything you're likely to find from any mobs out here. How did you meet again?"

"Um, you guys have red players?" Zahnri eyed Devlin and Mamoru, the latter of which's icon had yet to revert. "I'm not looking for any trouble."

"Answer the question." Devlin persisted.

"I met them in town." Zahnri took a step back. "Me and Chie chatted a bit in the shop."

Cedric's brow furrowed in thought. "You're pretty far from the fields. You said you were hunting mobs."

Zahnri forced a chuckle. "Yeah, I must've heard wrong. Things didn't have any good drops, so I figured I might as well explore a bit."

"Pretty brave, considering the bandits you mentioned." Cedric replied.

"You mean 'we'." Chie stance subtly shifted.

"Hmm?" Zahnri grunted, confused.

"You told me you were hunting with a friend." Chie said. "Where is he?"

Zahnri's mouth opened and shut as he searched for an answer.

Devlin stepped forward, his right hand on his short sword. "Just what _were_ you hunting?"

Zahnri didn't reply. He blinked, starting to sweat. Haruki started to draw her axe. In a flash, Zahnri drew a dagger in each hand and threw them at the group. A blade sank into Chie and Amber before they could react.

"Oh, c'mon!" Amber shouted as they crumpled over. "Sonuva_bitch_!"

Zahnri drew the fourth and last dagger from his hip and threw it at Devlin. He ducked under the attack, and the blade plunged into Haruki. With an angry grunt, she collapsed forward onto the knife. Zahnri turned and bolted.

"Don't let him get away!" Devlin shouted, chasing after him.

Mamoru instead ran to Haruki, rolling her over to remove the knife. Brenda drew her sword and took a defensive stance next to her fallen handler. Cedric paused, unsure of whether to stay put or follow. Making up his mind, he turned to Chie, summoning an antidote crystal from his inventory. Taiki followed after Devlin in pursuit. He pumped his legs, trying to catch up, managing to fall farther behind when his shoulder glanced off a tree. He could run fast enough, but maneuvering through the woods at speed proved difficult. Taking a more measured pace, he tried to at least keep Devlin in view. It was easy enough to keep a general direction by the sound of their footfalls. With all pretense of stealth dropped, they're rapid footsteps shattered the previous quiet. He could hear the sound of the creek growing louder as they drew closer to it. Nearing the banks, it ended up revealing itself to be a small river in a five meter wide, two meter deep ravine. Zahnri made to jump down into the ravine when Devlin caught up with him.

Devlin reached out and grabbed at his prey's coat. Zahnri splayed his arms behind him, letting the cloth be yanked off of him. He spun, drawing a last knife from a belt sheath on his back in a reverse grip and stabbed it down into Devlin's collar. Devlin's body went rigid, and he fell to the ground. Zahnri dropped on top of him, straddling him. He started stabbing him with a frenzy of strikes while Devlin let loose a heavy stream of obscenities.

Devlin's health had entered into the yellow, steadily dropping, when a hand grabbed Zahnri from behind by the throat. Taiki lifted the smaller man off the ground and hurled him into the ravine. Zahnri had just regained his footing when Taiki jumped in after him. His feet sank into the gravel of the riverbed with a crunch as he landed.

"Listen, I don't know what you are," Zahnri said, his friendly façade gone, "but you're in my way. You don't have to die here."

"Nobody needs to die here," Taiki added, "and you're coming with me."

"Fine, then." Zahnri smirked, holding his knife up. "You've seen what these can do. You're a dead man."

Taiki looked Zahnri over, searching for any other weapons. "Looks to be your last one; and you've already used it."

Zahnri's smirk vanished and he charged forward. Taiki raised his shield, blocking a slash. He stabbed his falcata straight out. Zahnri twisted out of the way, trying to jab around the shield. While his dagger was ideal in the confines of the forest, Taiki's sword and shield put him at an immediate disadvantage in the open area of the riverbed. Zahnri slashed at him; Taiki simply stepped out of range and stabbed the tip of his sword into his opponent's chest, his size and reach forcing the smaller man on the defensive. Zahnri retreated a few steps, recalculating the situation he was in.

"Give it up." Taiki said. "Drop the knife and come with me."

Zahnri growled and attacked again. He thrust his knife forward, the blade glancing off Taiki's shield. Taiki swung his sword in a downwards arc, cutting through his left shoulder and exiting through his ribs. Zahnri dodged the returned swing, slashing his dagger across his forearm. The smaller man made another desperate stab at his face. Confident that he didn't have to fear the paralysis, Taiki caught the attack in his left hand. The dagger sank through his palm, stabbing through the back of his hand. Taiki closed his fist around the dagger's hilt and Zahnri's hand.

Zahnri tried to jerk free, but his dagger and hand were firmly gripped. Taiki shoved his sword into his gut. He pulled his left hand back, pulling Zahnri deeper onto the blade, sinking it to the hilt, doubling him over. Taiki kept pulling and forced his sword upward, lifting the smaller man off the ground. He raised him up by the sword hilt digging into his gut. Taiki held the smaller man horizontally over his head, his sword pointing straight up through him. He slipped his right over around the handle of his sword, switching to a reverse grip, and forcefully drove the struggling man into the ground. He impacted with a spray of gravel.

Withdrawing his blade, he stepped back and twisted his body, his left hand still clamped around the dagger stabbed through his hand. Zahnri was dragged across the riverbed and thrown into the side of the ravine with a wet thud. Zahnri flopped onto his side. He rolled onto his knees, his health in the red. Taiki took a step towards him.

Zahnri dropped the knife, holding his hands up. He spat out chunk of gravel. "Okay! You got me! I give up."

"Tell me why you were following us!" Taiki shouted.

"Take a guess!" Zahnri answered, mustering his bravado.

"Answer me!" Taiki commanded.

He took another step towards Zahnri. The smaller man flinched, but held his ground. He watched Taiki for moment, neither moving, then smiled.

"You're not going to kill me." Zahnri's smile widened. He lowered his hands casually to his sides.

"I'm bringing you with me." Taiki raised his sword, but stayed where he was.

"That's not happening either." Zahnri countered. He kicked away his dagger. "I know that look. You won't kill me, and I'm not going anywhere with you, so you can either grow a pair, or watch me walk away."

"I'll drag you along if I need to." Taiki lowered his sword, starting towards him.

"You can try. Doesn't really matter either way. You have no idea who you're messing with." Zahnri laughed. "You're all dead. L-"

Whatever Zahnri was going to say was cut off by the sword stabbing through his skull. Devlin had jumped down into the ravine, driving his short sword into the crown of Zahnri's head. The tip pushed through the roof of his mouth, protruding down through his chin. His health bar emptied, and he crumbled into crystalline shards. Devlin sheathed his sword with a flourish. Taiki paused, surprised by the sudden execution.

"You killed him!" Taiki shouted, taken aback by the display.

"He started it." Devlin replied without a hint of humour. "He'd have killed all of us if he could've."

"I thought we were trying to capture him." Taiki stared down at the space where a living person used to occupy.

"I said not to let him get away." Devlin reminded. "Good job."

Without waiting for a reply, Devlin climbed back out of the ravine. "We need to get back to others and get out of here _now_."

Taiki took another look at the impression in the riverbed, still processing the sudden turn of events. He shook his head, and scrambled up the ravine after Devlin. He followed behind him, back to their party, eyeing him with a newfound perspective.

_He killed him, _he thought, _and it doesn't even seem to bother him._

The two rejoined the waiting party, who were all back on their feet. Chie quickly stepped up to them.

"Where is he? Did he get away?" She asked.

"No." Devlin answered darkly. "He didn't."

Chie's eyes lit in realization. "You killed him?"

"There wasn't much choice in the matter." Devlin crossed his arms.

"I _had _him." Taiki said. "We could have taken him alive."

Devlin whirled on him. "No, we couldn't. You think he was just giving up? He was keeping you talking."

"We could've captured him," Taiki persisted, "asked him some questions. He was out of knives; he wasn't a threat."

"Every second he was _alive_, he was a threat." Devlin said. His tone was surprisingly flat, almost clinical. He turned to speak to the entire group. "Anyone he was partied with would be able to see his location on their map. It would be like bringing a beacon with us. If we're lucky, we got him before he could send a message out."

The entire group stared back at Devlin. It had been one thing to hear offhand of how he'd become a red player. It was another to deal with such actions directly. Even Brenda regarded him differently. The only person that didn't look upset was Amber.

"So, if he has buddies out here," She started, "and I'm assuming he does, we should probably get the hell out of here."

"There's no way to tell if the path back to town is safe." Cedric reached a hand into the pocket behind his breastplate, pulling out a blue crystal. "I suggest we bug out."

Chie nodded in agreement. In response, all the members of Wayward Pact opened their inventories or reached into packs or pouches and withdrew a teleport crystal. Devlin reached into the recesses of his cloak, pulling two out. He held one out to Taiki.

"Thanks." Taiki waved away the offering. He dug into his pouch, pulling out the teleport crystal he'd initially offered to pay Devlin with when they'd first met. "I'm set."

Chie was staring into her crystal with a thoughtful expression, and then pocketed it with an agitated huff. "We can't, not yet."

Cedric slipped his crystal back into its pocket without hesitation. "Why not?"

"If Zahnri spotted us in town, he's been following us since then." Chie placed her hands on her hips. "That other group by the ruins; we need to warn them."

"We _need_ to get back to town." Haruki said. "Who knows how many bandits there are."

"And if we leave without warning them, they'll be targeted instead. For all we know they might already have someone tailing them." Chie countered. "I can't leave knowing we left them like that."

"She's got a point." Amber added, handing her crystal to Brenda.

"They're completely out of our way." Haruki gripped her teleporter tight. "They might not even be there."

"And they might all get killed if we don't help them." Chie stared down the larger woman. "It's the right thing to do."

"Certainly isn't the smart thing." Devlin quipped.

"But it's the _right _thing." Chie insisted. "And it's what _we're _doing."

"Worse come to worst, we can reach them and have some strength in numbers." Mamoru said to his wife.

Devlin looked down at the brick in his hand, then from Chie to Haruki. With a sigh, he returned his crystal to within his cloak. "Fine, but I'm not dying for anybody."

Relenting to their leader, the party turned and headed through the woods towards the ruins. The next forty minutes were filled with a tense silence as they moved in a tight knit group. They spoke as little as possible, listening for any sound that might betray any other presence. All weapons were drawn and ready, gripped tightly should any show themselves. They reached the river, traveling in the trees along the bank.

Chie raised a fist, halting the group. After a quick check of her map, she pointed across the river. They moved to the tree line, searching for any movement. When none was found, Chie led them down into the ravine. As a group, they waded across, the water only reaching their knees. Chie moved up to the side of the ravine. It was deeper at this point, almost three meters. She clasped her hands together in front of her in a cup, boosting Amber up. Amber turned around to reach down for her companion.

She froze, looking across the river. "Hey, you!"

Everybody turned to the riverside they'd just come from. Standing just outside the tree line was a young woman. She was slim, clad in a dark green cloak. Most of her face was hidden behind her hood, but her eyes were staring straight through Taiki. Before anyone could say anything further, she slipped back into the woods, disappearing from sight. Everyone stared, waiting for something to happen.

"What was that about?" Taiki asked. "She let us see her."

"I don't know, but if we're still doing this we need to hurry." Devlin commented, stepping out from behind Taiki.

Taiki pulled himself out of the ravine, reaching a hand down to lift the next person out. Haruki refused his invitation, choosing to climb out on her own with some measure of difficulty. Her husband reached up, allowing Taiki to pull him out. Next was Devlin, followed by Brenda and Cedric. The last person out was Chie. The party entered back into the woods. Once the river was out of view, they all stopped at the sounds of splashing water. A larger group was crossing the river. Everyone turned and readied themselves for a fight when the splashing stopped, and everything went silent. Taiki's eyes swept back and forth through the trees, looking for an attacker, holding his shield close.

Suddenly, they could hear whoever was following them running through the woods, drawing closer. Just when they thought they would be upon them, they found they weren't headed in their direction. The pursuing group passed by, just out of sight, save brief glimpses of a party more than twice theirs in numbers. Chie and her party stood their ground, forming a circle, expecting an attack from any direction. For several minutes, only the receding sound of the bandits greeted them, and then, nothing. One figure lingered; the young woman in the green cloak. She walked confidently into view, gave a playful wave, then melted back into the trees.

"I don't know about you guys but I'm getting a little weirded out." Amber whispered.

"That girl is still watching us." Cedric stated. "No idea how long she's been there. If they caught up to us, why didn't they attack?"

"Because it's too difficult to fight in here." Devlin sheathed his short sword. "Nobody wants to; not us, not them. She's just keeping tabs on us until we get out in the open."

"Then where are the rest of them-" Chie stopped herself, realizing the answer. "They're going after the others!"

"They don't want us joining up." Cedric looked back where they'd last heard the bandits. "They're going to attack them, then circle back our way."

"We're heading back to town!" Haruki declared.

"No!" Chie shouted back. "You saw how many there were; they need our help!"

"You're going to get us all killed!" Haruki stepped up to Chie, glaring down at their leader.

"You want to run away, that's fine," Chie advanced on Haruki, meeting her glare, "but those people have no idea what's headed their way, and I'm _not_ leaving them to die."

There was a tense moment of silence as the two women stared each other down. Haruki looked away first. Her face scrunched as she searched for something else to say, another argument. She'd just opened her mouth when Chie cut her off.

"Enough!" Chie held a hand up to silence her. "You got something to say, you can say it later. I'm sure you will, but for now, you can be quiet, and follow my orders."

Without waiting for any reply, Chie turned and started after the bandits. "They've got a lead on us, so let's haul ass."

Cedric followed without hesitation, with Amber and Brenda trailing behind.

Devlin gave a sharp laugh. "You heard your boss. C'mon, big guy, shit hits the fan, we can always ditch."

The only people left were Haruki and Mamoru. Not wanting to be left behind, they grudgingly chased after the group, running to catch back up. Knowing they were already being watched, and with time limited, the party raced through the woods, disregarding any attempts at stealth. Despite this, the trip towards the endangered group was without interruption. With their speed spurred on by urgency, they reached the edge of the forest in short order.

Chie stopped the group near the edge of the woods. About two hundred meters away were the ruins, composed of a collection of dilapidated structures. There was about a half dozen worn stone buildings the size of single storey houses in various stages of collapse situated in a ring around a larger three storey tower. A short stone wall full of gaping holes surrounded the entire area. There wasn't a soul in sight.

"Horrible place for an ambush." Cedric pointed out.

The party pulled out a collection of binoculars, telescopes, and in Amber's case, a set of ornate opera glasses, surveying the area. Suddenly, the sound of metal striking metal and surprised shouts reached them.

"We're too late." Amber adjusted her binoculars, scanning the area.

The fight was short lived, lasting less than a minute before it came to a close. A lone, unarmed man ran into view, running full tilt away from the ruins. Close behind him chased a group of seven bandits. Once they'd closed the distance, one struck out with a whip. The cord wrapped around his neck. His head jerked back as his feet left the ground. The man with the whip, a bear of a figure, reeled in his struggling catch, placing a boot on his chest.

"Not good." Chie muttered.

One of the bandits moved forward for the kill, but was stopped with a gesture from their leader, a bald man that appeared to be flayed skinless from the neck down. He patted the back of the brute with the whip. He responded by lifting their quarry onto his knees by the cord.

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The man was sitting on his knees, thoroughly out of breath from his failed attempt at escape. The fight had been disappointingly easy once the ambush had been sprung; it hand't even been fun. The flayed man crossed his arms, staring down at the remaining member of the small group they'd slaughtered. He was a young man of around seventeen, with a soft complexion and a boyish face. His health was deeply into the yellow. Their eyes met, him looking back up expectantly. The flayed man simply stared down at him, his expression flat, idly tapping his foot in thought. When nothing happened, the boy's head dropped and he started to softly sob. Shinjin stooped down to one knee.

"Hey, now." his tone was soft, comforting, almost paternal. "There's no need to cry."

Shinjin reached out, unwrapping the whip from his neck. Its length was composed of blue tinted steel filaments corded together, woven through small, segmented blades. Its owner was a thuggish looking figure with a heavy build of average height. He wore no armour, save for a pair of thick iron gauntlets and bracers. His shirt was a simple brown garment with threadbare sleeves. As if to compensate, his trousers were overly complicated, with a collection of pouches and pockets covering his thighs. A second whip was wrapped around a steel waistband like a belt. His face was dour, with a nose and downturned lips too big for the face they sat on, and a thick brow lending him a perpetually upset expression.

"You did good, all things considered." Shinjin patted him on the shoulder. "You certainly lasted the longest, and you've got some quick legs on you."

The crying could only muster the question, "Why?"

Shinjin smiled up at the man with the whip. "He wants to know why, Jorg. Isn't that just adorable."

Jorg crossed his arms and smirked.

"You got a name?" Shinjin asked, ignoring the query. When there was no reply, he placed a hand under his chin, lifting his eyes back to meet his own, and repeated the question.

"Brodrick." He blubbered out.

Shinjin gave a warm smile. "Hello, Brodrick. Listen, I know we didn't really meet on the friendliest of terms, and I really hate to impose, but do you think you can do me a little favour? After that, I'll set you free."

"You're lying." Brodrick said.

Shinjin held a hand over his heart. "I never lie."

Shinjin placed his hands on Brodrick's shoulders, lifting him to his feet. He stood behind him, pointing over his shoulder. "You see those trees there? Little to the right. Yeah, there. I want you to wave. Can you do that for me, Brodrick?"

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"We're too late to help." Mamoru said. "We should leave."

"I agree." Cedric conceded.

"What the hell are they doing?" Chie stared through her binoculars at the bandits and their captive.

The flayed man gently placed a hand on crying figure's back, turning him to face directly their way. After a little encouragement, the captive lifted a hand and started to wave at them. Slowly, the flayed man took a couple steps back. He drew his sword from a fur sheath on his back and impaled his captive from behind. He roughly withdrew his saw of a blade, dropping the young man back to his knees. With a dramatic flourish, he sliced his sword through his neck, finishing him off. The flayed man sheathed his sword and gave a friendly wave in their direction. After exchanging a few words with the bandits with him, they started towards them.

"_Holy shit!_" Amber returned her opera glasses to her inventory.

Taiki pocketed his binoculars, watching the approaching bandits. He started to draw his sword. _There's seven there; where are the rest?_

"Behind us!" Taiki shouted, spinning around.

While they'd been watching the display in the ruins, the rest of the bandits had circled silently around behind them. Hearing Taiki's shout, they walked into view. There was a mismatched group a dozen strong, plus a large black panther, led by the girl in green.

"Everybody!" Chie pulled out her teleport crystal. "We're out of here!"

The rest of the group grabbed hold of their means of escape and held them aloft. A throwing knife sank into Taiki's chest. Ignoring it, he activated his teleport crystal. Before the advancing bandits reached them, the crystal shattered, and world faded into a rushing blue haze. The fog cleared, revealing a town's centre as he was deposited near the fast travel gateway of Schreidenburg. Haruki and Cedric were already there. Taiki looked over his shoulder to see Amber and Brenda materialize. A brief moment later Chie took form. She quickly took stock of their party. Taiki plucked the knife from his chest and searched for the last two members of their group, but apart from a scattering of NPCs, there was nobody else present.

"They're outside!" Chie realized. She opened her inventory, tossing the Signet of Elemyre to Cedric. "Take that to the quest contact and turn it in! Amber, grab any players you can find and tell them trouble's coming. The rest of you, with me!"

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Mamoru's form took shape in a blue flash. He looked around, confused. Where he'd been expecting the cobblestone streets of Schreidenburg, there was nothing but grass and an open field. Behind him were the town gates, guarded by a pair of stoic NPC sentries wielding halberds. He glanced upwards, remembering his still orange icon when he heard Devlin materialize beside him.

Mamoru gave a sigh of relief. "That was a close one."

Mamoru curiously regarded Devlin. He was frantically twisting his head around like someone trapped in a room searching for an exit, despite the both of them being in the open. He settled his attention of Schreidenburg's gates.

Mamoru cocked an eyebrow. "You oka-"

Devlin snapped his focus towards him, cutting him off. "How fast are you? Can you outrun a town guard?"

"Um." Mamoru scratched at the back of his head. "Don't know; I've never had to try."

Devlin grabbed his arm and starting dragging him towards the gates. "You're about to find out, now move!"

They were almost to the entrance when the guards took notice of them, pointing their halberds their way and issuing a stern warning. Mamoru planted his feet and shook his arm free. Devlin stopped and turned back towards Mamoru, about to press the issue when he looked past him. Mamoru could hear a rapid fire series of teleportations behind him. He glanced over his shoulder and saw the dozen bandits appear in flashes of blue. They immediately spotted them, and gave chase.

Devlin and Mamoru bolted towards the entrance. The guards advanced, stabbing their halberds out. The two batted the attacks aside and ran past them through the gates. Six of the bandits followed after them, with the other half running to the side, taking the long way around the outpost. Schreidenburg was a small town, containing little more than the necessities, and was barely one hundred fifty meters across. Devlin pointed to the gate on the opposite end of town and sprinted for it, with Mamoru struggling to keep pace.

They were running through the main street, with a small collection of small shops and restaurants on either side. In front of them, a squad of ten guards spawned in response to their incursion. They hefted their halberds as one and charged. Mamoru tilted forward and drew his katana, bracing for what was to come, while Devlin searched for any options. The guards reached them, swinging and stabbing their halberds. Mamoru managed to block the worst strikes and ignored the glancing blows as he pushed through with force, shoulder checking a guard off his feet as he broke through.

Devlin abruptly moved to the left, running through the outdoor seating of a bistro. Without slowing he jumped onto a chair, then a table, kicking aside a surprised NPC's meal, grabbed the support beam of the patio's awning and let his momentum swing him upwards. Letting go, he performed a slow backflip and passed over the guards, completing the display of agility by landing flat on his face. He quickly rose to all fours, braced himself like a sprinter, and took off anew. He hazarded a look behind him and saw that two of the guards had turned and were following after them. The six bandits met the remaining NPCs with less fortunate results. They were all slowed, while one was forced to retreat, and another was killed outright. Two guards broke off and chased the retreating bandit out of town, while the others trailed after the rest.

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Cedric burst into Sveltheim's town hall. It was built like a small chapel, with a vaulted ceiling and composed of one large room. The floor was covered in thick, worn rugs leading to a wooden throne, upon which sat the town's earl, a squat, rotund old man. Above the NPC's head in the place of an icon was a golden exclamation mark. The entire room smelt of must and old bread. Cedric quickly made his way up to the man.

"Here." Cedric pulled the quest item from his inventory and handed it to the earl. "We got the ring."

"Marvelous!" The earl's face glowed with joy as he took hold of the ring. "You've done my keep a great service, traveler. You've done well to vanquish the evil of the fallen Champion of Elemyre. I cannot thank you enough for your-"

"That's great, how about that reward and we call it quits." Cedric said hurriedly.

"One does not interrupt an earl." The NPC said sourly. His face then switched back to joy as he resumed his speech. "I cannot thank you enough for your brave deed. Our halls will ring with tales of this day for years to come."

Cedric impatiently paced back and forth in front of the throne while the old earl droned through his speech. A commotion brought his attention to the front window. He saw Devlin and Mamoru frantically run by, followed by a pair of guards, trailed after a moment later by four bandits, with finally more guards chasing after the lot of them. Cedric watched the display pass by, nonplussed.

"Please, allow me to reward you efforts," continued the earl, oblivious, "while I cannot spare any money, I hope you will accept this token of our gratitude, which has been passed down my family line for generations."

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Devlin and Mamoru were almost to the town center, meeting Chie and the rest of their party, sans Amber and Cedric. With the guards close behind them, they didn't stop, continuing past their surprised comrades. In a collective flash, another ten guards appeared by the teleport gate and moved to intercept. Taiki charged into their ranks, bowling over two and making an opening for their fleeing companions. The bandits couldn't penetrate the amassed crowd, and were forced to retreat, with another falling to the guards behind them.

Devlin and Mamoru were halfway to the other side of town when the former heard a chiming tone from overhead. He looked up, pleased to see a green icon above him. He checked behind him; the guards turned their attention away from him and started wandering aimlessly on patrol. He let his momentum drain until he came to a halt.

Mamoru stopped beside him, doubled over and out of breath. "Let's never do that again."

Devlin gave a friendly slap to Mamoru's back, eliciting a sputtering cough from the stockier man. He looked back up at his green icon. "Man, I missed seeing that."

"You guy's okay?" Chie called, catching up with them.

Mamoru had just turned to face their party when he was scooped off the ground in a bear hug from Haruki, forcing the air back from his lungs. Devlin looked up at the approaching Taiki. "No thanks, I don't do hugs."

"Pretty sure you're not my type." Taiki countered. He gestured over Devlin's head. "Guess we're even now."

"Guess so." Devlin smiled at Chie. "Thanks for having us along."

"We're not quite done yet." Chie gave a slim smile in return. "We still have to split the spoils."

Devlin clapped his hands. "Sounds great."

"Not here. I want some distance between us and any followers." Chie turned to the party as a whole as Amber and Cedric rejoined them. "Everyone, to the teleporer. We're leaving."

The group congregated around the gateway, a smooth rounded stone archway on a lightly elevated section of pavement in the very center of town. It gave off a quiet humming as they approached. In the center of its arch, suspended in the air was a small, soft light the size of a thimble, radiating a thin blue fog the same colour as the crystals they'd used to get here.

"Where are we going?" Taiki asked.

"The safest place in the world." Chie reached out, activating the artifact and setting the destination. Its humming slightly grew in intensity.

The light hanging in the archway burst into a roiling tempest, then a fraction of a second later collapsed on itself, filling the arch with a flat, swirling blue vortex. Cedric walked through the archway's threshold. The surface of the portal rippled around him like water, and he was gone.

"We're going home." Chie finished, following after Cedric.

One by one, the party passed through, vanishing into nothing.

"I'll see you on the other side." Devlin said, taking his turn after Brenda.

The last two were Taiki and Amber. She smiled and gestured to the humming miasma of the portal. Taiki walked up to it, pensively sticking his hand into its surface. There was no resistance, only a somewhat cool sensation, like passing into a room with a lower temperature. Holding his breath, he closed his eyes and stepped through. After a brief feeling of rushing speed, he felt the ground beneath him again. He opened his eyes to reveal the town centre of Sveltheim. There were a few other gates nearby, likely due to the larger amount of traffic the town saw. Taiki was still taking stock of his surroundings when Amber bumped into him from behind. Chie was already readying the portal for another trip.

"We're going again?" Taiki asked.

"Towns can only connect to the other gates on the same floor." She explained. "To go up or down, you need to use a gateway at either the floor's entry city, or the final city before the floor's boss labyrinth."

The portal reactivated, and the party made their way through. Much to Taiki's discomfort, they made four stops on their way down in the event anyone else like Zahrni tried to tail them. At long last, they arrived at their destination as the sun dipped down and the final moments of twilight began. The first thing that struck Taiki was the size of the area. Where Schreidenburg had the one gateway, this place had two dozen nearby. City blocks sprawled out around him in every direction, with structures ranging wildly from single storey flats to five storey buildings made of material ranging from wood to cobblestone to brick and mortar. He cold see even larger buildings deeper in the city; towers and cathedrals reaching above the urban sprawl. The stone paved roads and walkways had a tan colour, like sandstone, lined with burning streetlamps that were just starting to light in the setting sun.

Despite the day's end, there were players and NPCs everywhere. People leaving through the portals for a late hunt, returning to rest and count their spoils, visiting shops before their closing time, or entering establishments just opening for the night. Everywhere Taiki looked, the number of icons rivaled or outnumbered those without.

"Welcome," Chie started, gesturing to the metropolis before them, "to the Town of Beginnings; The Starting City."

* * *

Author's Notes: Bit of a longer chapter this time, hope the pacing was decent. Now that we've reached a semi-safe harbour, the next chapter will probably be spent fleshing out the characters a bit.


	8. Chapter 7: Respite and Ruminations Pt 1

By the time they'd reached the home base of the Wayward Pact the sun had fully dipped below the horizon. The walk there had led them almost to the city's outer wall to a long three storey block of a building. It was made of thick wood planks of a deep brown oak colour with a ring of grey stone blocks around the top and bottom of each floor. To its right was an identical building, albeit with a slightly lighter coulor, and to the left was a single storey bakery, closed for the night. Across the street were a couple close packed houses and a vacant lot overgrown with weeds. Taiki looked over the building's face, judging by the size and placement of the windows this to be an apartment, and that the spaces were likely not very large. Over the entrance were the words 'Wanderer's Den'.

There was no common room inside, only the NPC owner behind her desk welcoming them back. Their rooms were on the second storey. Chie inserted the key into the door, opening it inward to show a dwelling that was slightly larger than Taiki had been expecting, but appeared too small to comfortably fit a guild of six members, let alone their two guests. There was a living/dining room about five meters by four with a simple wooden square table off to the right, set for four. Along the wall next to the door was a basic kitchenette. Straight ahead was a short cabinet under the window, with a cushioned chair to the left next to a bookshelf. There was a blanket folded up on the floor next to the chair. To the left was the door to the bedroom, where Taiki could see two beds and another window. The apartment lacked a washroom of any kind. If Taiki would describe it in a single word, it would be 'modest'.

Taiki studied the layout of the apartment. Chie was in charge, so she would have a bed. As a couple, Haruki and Mamoru would have the other bed. Cedric would then be the one that slept on the chair with the blanket. Taiki was searching for where the remaining two of their guild might sleep when Amber answered his unspoken question by opening the adjacent apartment to the left. She gave her companion some instructions he couldn't hear, and the NPC entered and closed the door.

"Welcome to our humble abode." Chie said, gesturing at the room. She lit an oil lantern hanging from the wall next to the door to the bedroom and another in the kitchenette, illuminating the darkened dwelling. "It isn't much, but it's cheap, and it works for whenever we're in the neighborhood."

"It sure is…" Devlin trailed off, searching for the word, "cozy."

"I said it was cheap." Chie repeated. "We don't spend all that much time here. It's just a place to store some of our stuff or come back to after a job. Now, let's talk loot."

The party gathered around the dining table, emptying their inventories of items they'd raided from the chitahn cave. The room became much more cramped as it was filled with everything they'd taken from the storerooms.

"Haruki, Mamoru, can you sell this stuff off tomorrow?" Chie asked. "We can split the profits then."

"Why don't we just split everything now?" Devlin asked. "Get everything done while we're all here."

"Sounds good." Haruki agreed. "Quest's done; no reason to keep these guys on longer than we need."

"Yeah, I'll miss you, too." Devlin crossed his arms.

"Piss off." Haruki spat. "Just take what you raided and go. Bring your friend with you."

"Haruki," Cedric started, "we still have to sell and split the quest item."

Cedric pulled the item from his inventory; a crystal broadsword. The hilt was made from black aegirine crystals gilded with silver. The blade was clear quartz, with the silver from the handle running up along the fuller. If it weren't for the weight of the blade, it might've been mistaken for glass. Cedric placed it on the table, the weapon making a solid sounding _thunk_.

"Pretty." Amber commented.

"Way I see it," Haruki continued, "we already paid him getting his icon green again."

"So you want to short change Taiki?" Chie gestured at the larger man. "Guy saves my life, and you want to cheat him?"

"I wouldn't mind some money before I go." Taiki offered.

"Then appraise the weapon and give them what you think their share would be." Haruki pressed.

"I'm not doing that." Chie started, started to get irritated.

"Why not?" Haruki asked. "Wh-

"_Haruki!_" Chie shouted over the woman. "We have had _too_ long of a day and I am _not_ going to argue with you on this. Tomorrow, you and and Mamoru will sell this vendor trash."

Chie picked up the crystal broadsword and added it to her inventory. "I'll sell this, and we'll meet back here and settle our accounts. Then we're going to have a conversation of where we're going from there. We clear?"

Haruki looked to her husband for support, who meekly shrugged. "We owe them their share."

"Speaking of sleep," Devlin clapped his hands, drawing an angry look from Haruki, "where are we crashing?"

"You guys can room with me." Amber said in a chipper tone out of place with the previous conversation. "I've got some extra space."

"Thanks." Taiki smiled, relieved he wouldn't be stuck with the surlier woman.

The plans for the next day were agreed upon, and Mamoru and Haruki added the heap of loot into their inventories, with Taiki mildly amused by just how much could disappear into a person's ethereal pockets. He and Devlin followed Amber to the adjacent apartment. The dwelling's dimensions were identical to the one they'd just left, albeit with slightly different furnishings. The dining table was narrower, with seating only for two. Under the window was the same small cabinet, but there was a chair to either side, turned to face each other.

The smell of fresh food greeted them, as well as Brenda, who had an apron worn over her leather armour. She'd just finished setting the table for four and was dragging the window side seats over when Amber sat down and waved them over. Taiki moved to take a seat and managed to hit his head against a lantern hanging from the center of the ceiling, throwing the shadows in the room into a frenzy.

"Watch your head." She said, quickly standing back up to steady the lantern and sitting back down. "Figured you might be as hungry as I am. Hope you like turkey."

"I can _always_ eat." Devlin enthusiastically slipped into a seat. "You're my new favourite."

Taiki seated himself across from Brenda, detaching his shield from his forearm and leaning it against a table leg. The plate had a portion of turkey meat sitting atop a small pile of mashed potatoes. He took hold of the fork beside his plate, giving it a momentary inspection. It had only two tines, and felt childishly small in his grip. He splayed his fingers open on his left hand. It was the hand that'd been impaled by Zahnri's dagger. There was no sign of the wound.

_Not even a scratch_. He glanced towards Devlin, who was heartily enjoying the meal.

"Something wrong?" Amber asked.

"Hmm?" Taiki grunted. "No, nothing."

He picked up his utensils and dug into the meal. "This is really good."

Amber had just tried to start some small talk when the sound of muted yelling reached them through the wall. Taiki turned in his seat towards the wooden barrier. "Wonder what that's about."

Devlin sawed his knife into his meal. "Take a guess."

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"I told you we should have head back sooner, but you just _had _to keep going!" Haruki shouted.

She stood, looking down at her guild leader, who had taken a seat at the table. Everyone save Haruki had swapped out their armour for more comfortable plain clothes. Chie, for her part, met the bulkier woman's eyes with a patient, longsuffering expression. Between the two to the side was Mamoru, trying to avoid being forced to choose a side. Cedric was minding his own in the kitchenette.

"There were people that needed our help." Chie steepled her fingers on her lap and crossed one leg over the other. "I can't speak for you, but I'm not the kind that leaves others to their deaths."

"Fat lot of good we did them," Haruki countered, "apart from nearly getting ourselves killed."

Cedric returned from the kitchen placing a hot cup of tea in front of his commander. He excused himself to the bedroom with his own beverage. Spotting the opportunity to leave the line of fire, Mamoru joined him.

"Walk me through this, then." Chie said with a stony calm, wrapping one of her hands around the hagi ware tea cup. "At what point should we have abandoned those people to their fate?"

"When we heard the group cross the river." Haruki glared down at her. "We knew there were too many."

"So, we should have left when we were already almost there, in the best position to lend our assistance." Chie blew the steam away from her tea.

"Before that, after Devlin killed the guy trailing us." Haruki said.

"That's right." Chie said, as if she was just remembering. She put her tea down without taking a drink. "You wanted to leave without even trying."

"And _you_ almost had us charge into our graves!" Haruki shouted. "You want to be the knight in shining armour, but you won't admit when you screw up."

"The only way we screwed up was not getting there fast enough." Chie stood up, still looking up the woman. "And I'd do it again."

"Why?" Haruki asked. "So you can play the hero?"

"Because we're all trapped in this together." Chie stepped up to larger woman. "I don't want to leave anyone behind if we don't have to. If someone needs my help to make it home again, they'll have it."

Haruki pointed to the wall towards Amber's apartment. "And now you've brought a red player with us, and whatever the hell the big one is."

"They needed help." Chie said simply. "They didn't hesitate to save my life when _I_ needed it."

Chie picked her tea cup back up, taking a sip. "That, and I'll be honest Taiki's situation has piqued my curiosity."

"We don't know anything about them." Haruki insisted. "We don't know what kind of people they are."

"If anything happens, you have my full permission to tell me you told me so." Chie finished off her tea. "At the moment, we owe them their share for a quest they pulled their weight in completing, and we're going to pay them. Anything less would be disgraceful."

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The sounds of conversation quieted down, continuing on for a few minutes longer before cutting out completely. Taiki had listened closely, but couldn't make out much of anything beyond snippets of words. Not enough to piece anything together, but he could figure out the topic. Devlin had shown little interest, wandering to the bookshelf on the other side of the room, scrolling through the selection. Brenda cleaned the dishes in the kitchenette with Amber's help. The latter brought the last plate to the sink, hugging the NPC and complimenting the meal. Taiki walked over to the window, opening its shutters outward. He rested his elbows on the windowsill, looking out at the city. The foot traffic outside had all but ceased, and the lights from other windows were steadily going out. Up above there were countless twinkling stars in the cloudless sky. Taiki looked up, puzzling over them. Past the stars he could see the ceiling, the top of this floor. He was pondering just what the stars were when Amber spoke up.

"Okay, you guys can do what you want, but I'm turning in." Amber said. She and Brenda walked into the bedroom.

Taiki closed the shutters, following after, curious to see the sleeping arrangements. The bedroom, like the living room, had the same dimensions as the neighboring apartment, with the minor difference of having only one bed. Amber was already changed into her nightwear; a teal flowing nightgown that reached down to her calves. He gave the room another once over.

"Oh, sorry, I only have the one." Amber said. "Brenda, can you set some blankets in the living room?"

"Thanks." Taiki fidgeted a moment, feeling like he'd intruded, and turned to leave the room.

Brenda had already completed her task and walked past him back into the room. She stood in a T pose and her leather armour disappeared, replaced by a nightgown matching Amber's, albeit shorter and sleeveless. Taiki hadn't even thought of whether or not the NPC slept.

"Where does Brenda sleep?" He inquired.

Amber gestured to the bed. "Right here."

"Oh." He said simply before a thought occurred to him. "Oh."

"What?" She asked, innocently.

"Nothing." Taiki recalled Amber's apparent affection towards her companion, but with what he understood of NPCs, Taiki wasn't entirely sure of his conclusion.

Sensing the awkward atmosphere, Devlin poked his head into the room, quickly taking in the picture before him. He stepped up to Taiki's side with a wry smile. "Wait, are you bedding your NPC? You two a thing?"

"What?" Amber answered, surprised by Devlin's bluntness. "No."

"There's no need to hide it. I mean, it's more than a little odd, but I'm not judging if you've made your companion your" Devlin slowly gyrated his hips, keeping his upper body perfectly still, "_companion_."

Amber blushed. "It's not like that!"

"It _looks_ like that." Devlin looked up at Taiki playfully. "What's that look like?"

Taiki shrugged. "Looks like that."

"Well," Amber stammered, "it isn't. NPCs aren't programmed for that kind of stuff, they don't even _have _genitals."

There was a long pause while her statement sunk in. Her blush deepened as she realized its implications.

"Goodnight." Taiki did an about face, starting towards the door. He grabbed Devlin on his way out.

"Wait." Amber called after them, wanting to dispel any assumptions while she still could. "It's just, quest companions are usually really short term, so I didn't want to buy another bed, but I felt bad having her sleep on the floor, and I get kinda cold and she's my best friend and there's nothing else going on."

The entire explanation was given in one long breath, with the latter half delivered in a fast rambling jumble. Taiki gave a curt bow, bid her goodnight again, then exited the room with Devlin in tow and closed the door. Devlin twisted himself free of Taiki's grasp in a way that wrenched his arm around.

"The NPC's her best friend?" Devlin commented, taking his cloak off and draping it over the back of the chair. "Wow, that took a one eighty from kinky to depressing real quick."

Taiki was struck again by just how much equipment was hidden under the cloak, covering his lamellar armour. His khopesh and straight short sword were hung on his left and right hips, respectively. There was a dagger on his left hip behind the khopesh. Along his left ribs under his arm were five slim throwing knives. Running up his right side were two pouches the perfect size and dimensions to each snugly fit a crystal. One was empty, and the other contained his second teleport crystal. There was a large pocket on the front of both of his thighs, and a smaller pocket on his upper left arm. Lastly, there was a pair of fifteen centimeter throwing spikes sheathed on his right forearm.

Looking over the assorted weaponry adorning him, Taiki felt underprepared with only his falcata and shield; he'd never replaced his lost throwing knives or dagger. He decided to make a task of reviewing his supplies the following day and made to remove his armour for the night. With some difficulty, he undid the clasps holding his bracers together. He was searching for the means to undo his upper armour when he noticed Devlin giving him a bemused look.

"What?" Taiki asked.

"Just unequip it." Devlin said. "Otherwise you'll be at that for a while."

"Oh." Taiki chided himself for not thinking of that. "Right."

He opened his menu, depositing his armour and sword back into his inventory, leaving him clad in a tan t-shirt and shorts, as well as a thin pair of socks. It felt good to be out of his armour; the first time Taiki could remember ever being free of it. He lay into the bedding on the floor; a heavy woolen blanket with crisscrossing stripes of pink and purple folded onto itself. Devlin extinguished the ceiling lantern and sat in the window side chair, covering himself with his cloak.

"You're sleeping in your armour?" Taiki asked.

"Always do." He replied. Even his mask was still on. Taiki noticed his khopesh was unsheathed, leaning handle up against the side of the chair. "Force of habit; feel naked without it."

Taiki pondered if the sword's placement was because it was too long to comfortably sleep with, or to keep it ready and in reach if needed. With them lodging in a safe zone, it seemed odd to prepare for a fight. Putting it out of his mind, Taiki rolled onto his stomach, content to finally be sleeping indoors. It was the first time he'd felt safe he could recall; there were no monsters here. The last thing he heard was Devlin stirring in his chair before sleep took him.

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_The Man stood at a crossroads. A dimly lit four way intersection of stone corridors stretched out before him. He knew this place; he'd been here before. He felt a constant rushing wind blowing around him, but it was completely silent. The only thing he heard was the sound of his heart and his breath. The Man could see within the stone halls, but there was no visible source of light. He stared down the corridors, but couldn't see the ends of them. The paths appeared to stretch straight into depthless shadows, while at the same time seeming to bend into themselves and each other._

_There was the sound of stone scraping over metal, reverberating through the dungeon halls._

_ The Man blinked, trying to comprehend the shifting, self-contradicting display. He could hear something wet drip onto the floor with a dull ringing echo. He turned to its source, seeing he was no longer alone. In one of the corridors stood a recognizable figure; a young man wearing a long coat over a gambeson. He turned away, and ran. _

_"Wait." The Man called._

_Another long stone on metal scrape._

_He took a step to chase after him and the hall rushed past them at blinding speed. By the time his foot touched the floor, the stone walls were long behind them, replaced by tall, thin trees. The Man reached out and grabbed his coat. The figure twisted around, going limp, bearing the visage of Zahnri, blood pouring from his head chin and mouth. The Man recoiled, letting the corpse go. It dropped to the ground, shattering inside its clothes like porcelain. The Man felt a sharp pain. He looked to his hand; it was bleeding from both ends from a wound that went straight through his palm and the back of his hand._

_A third and final drawn out scraping was heard, and the earth beneath him cracked like glass and took on a reflective sheen like a mirror. The Man heard the sound of massive beating wings above him and something landed heavily behind him, shattering the ground and dropping him into an endless abyss._

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Taiki opened his eyes, waking. He was lying on his back, still in the living room of Amber's apartment. He was safe. Taiki gave a long sigh, slowing his breathing. He raised his hand up over him, looking it over in the soft light of the moon. Taiki wondered who'd opened the window when he was answered by a long, soft scraping sound. Devlin stood at the window, staring out at the city while slowly drawing a thumb sized whetstone along the blade of his short sword. It still in the middle of the night.

"I wake you?" He asked without looking. He pocketed the whetstone and wiped the sword off with a scrap of cloth. "I'm surprised; last time it took an angry boar to get you up."

Taiki got a good look at the weapon. It was around forty odd centimeters, or about eighteen inches. It had a slim, slight blade only three centimeters wide, giving it a frail appearance. A weapon designed for straight, piercing attacks and nothing more.

"No." Taiki sat up. "How long have you been up?"

"Not long." Devlin turned around, looking down at Taiki. "Something wrong?"

"I'm fine." Taiki answered.

"That's not what I asked." Delving stooped down in a squat. "What's the matter?"

"Just," Taiki paused, he glanced at Devlin's short sword, "thinking."

Devlin followed his eyes. "I like to clean my weapons after I use them on someone. They don't leave anything behind, but it still feels like you need to wash them away."

Taiki sat up straighter, bringing him level with Devlin. "You didn't have to. I had him cornered."

A slim, humourless smile crossed Devlin's lips. "That's all that's bothering you?"

Devlin gave a sigh. "Look, I know you think I acted out of turn, but the fact is, I did what needed to be done. He was a danger to all of us."

"Like I said before, he was unarmed." Taiki stated. Feeling a little silly having this conversation sitting in a blanket, he stood up, with Devlin following.

"Was he?" Devlin placed his short sword on the dining table. "Tell me, am I?"

Taiki looked past him to his khopesh, still resting against the chair. He pointed to the dagger on his hip. "Of course not."

"You're right." Devlin unsheathed his dagger, placing it next to his sword. "How about now?"

Before Taiki could speak, Devlin removed his throwing knives. They clattered as he stacked them one on top of the other. "And now?"

He placed his throwing spikes on the table. "Or now?"

Taiki looked him over, weighing his answer. Devlin ducked down, drawing a last punch knife from within his left boot. He tossed it to Taiki. He made a show of patting himself down before holding his arms out. "Now?"

"Yeah." Taiki answered, sensing that probably wasn't the case.

"Wrong." Devlin waved his hand, opening his menu. Two seconds later a dull grey khopesh appeared in his hands. He placed this on the table. He repeated the motions, summoning a scimitar, then another short sword, then a handful of throwing knives.

"You think you have someone disarmed, but you turn away for a split second and they can stab you in the back." Devlin said, returning his weapons to his inventory and their sheaths. "Then there's still the issue with bringing him with us. Hard to hide from his friends when we have one of them showing on their maps leading them right to us."

Taiki thought about it a moment, nodding. "I understand, it just doesn't feel right."

"But it's how it is." Devlin closed the window and sat back in the chair. "That all?"

"I guess." Taiki sat down. "I don't see how you can be so casual about it."

"You get used to it, I suppose." Devlin drew his cloak over himself like a blanket and closed his eyes. "Nothing to lose any sleep over."

Taiki didn't push the subject, drawing his covers back over himself and lying face down. A few minutes past, and Devlin cracked open his eyes. Once he was sure Taiki was asleep, he picked his short sword back up and resumed wiping it down with the cloth.

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Amber scrunched her eyes against the slim ray of morning sunshine that had managed to slip through her shutters. She repositioned herself a little lower in the bed, avoiding the offending light, refusing to wake just yet. Amber stretched her mouth open in a yawn that was cut short and replaced with a sputtering raspberry as she managed to draw in a mouthful of hair. Still reluctant to admit defeat, she held the owner of the hair tighter; a pleasantly warm mass she had her arms wrapped around. She smiled, on the verge on returning to her slumber when Brenda stirred. The NPC companion extricated herself from Amber's clutches and left the bed.

Amber groggily reached out across the mattress, searching for her bed warmer. When the hand found nothing, she patted the bed with newfound alarm. She woke with a start, sitting straight up, quickly finding Brenda already dressed. She was headed towards the exit.

"Where're you going?" She asked with a tinge of panic.

"There's someone at the door." Brenda replied.

As if to confirm her answer, there was a light rapping on the apartment door.

"Oh." Amber gave a relieved sigh. "Ok. I'll get it."

She wiped her eyes and lazily made her way to answer. Devlin and Taiki had already left, leaving the blankets folded neatly to the side of the room. She noted that Devlin's didn't look like he'd used it all. Looking to her HUD's clock, she saw that it was almost nine o'clock. She cracked the door open, opening it further when she saw it was Mamoru. She liked him; he was nice to her, and had enough good humour to balance out the angry storm cloud that his wife could be.

"Morning." He started. "Me and the missus are headed out to sell the loot. Chie wanted me to stop by and tell you you're free to do whatever today; we don't really have much else going on."

"Thanks." Amber said with a yawn. She looked behind her to the neatly folded bedding in the living room. "Where'd they go?"

"We all had a quick meeting next door. I told them you like to sleep in a bit, so we left you be." Mamoru answered. "They've already gone; don't know where. Chie doesn't feel the need to keep tabs on 'em anymore now that the quest is done."

"Ok." Amber said. "Thanks."

"Mamoru." Haruki called from down the hall. "C'mon, let's go."

"Coming." Mamoru answered back. "Well, see you later."

He briskly walked off to rejoin his wife, and the two set off on their task. Amber closed the door, turning around to Brenda, who was just finishing putting away the blankets. She stretched her arms out, arching her back with an audible crack. Amber turned to her companion with a smile.

"So," she started, "what do you want to do today?"

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The knife tumbled end over end as it flew towards its destination; a meter wide tree stump propped up on a wooden tripod. It struck its target with the handle and rebounded off, sticking point first into the ground. Around it was three other failed attempts, with two blades embedded in the target. The stump was painted with a red bull's-eye a handspan across inside of an orange circle, which was itself inside of a larger yellow circle half the stump's diameter. The remaining portion of the target was uncoloured. Both knives that had found their mark were firmly within this yellow outer ring.

Taiki walked over to the wooden target and retrieved his knives, slipping them back into their sheaths along his left ribs. He'd found a sheath for throwing knives almost identical to Devlin's in his inventory, albeit larger, with room for six blades. It was stocked with generic looking projectiles. The knives were of simple but stout construction; they were six inch long single edged blades that flowed into a minimalistic metal handle. They were thick, and weightier than they appeared. The metal had a rough, non-reflective finish.

"Two out of six." Devlin commented. "That's a little better. Go again."

The two had stopped at a training area south of the apartments. There was a spaced out line of ten identical wooden targets for knives and hatchets. Behind them was a line of straw targets for larger projectiles like javelins with one occupant. Farther to their right was a large yard with a wooden fence and a barracks full of NPCs that could be paid for training partners.

Taiki took his spot next to Devin five meters from the target and drew out a knife. He held it for a moment, arm drawn back, trying to calculate its trajectory. His hand flowed forward and let the blade fly. It gracefully arced through the air, tumbling towards the target. The knife handled bounced off the stump with a cringe worthy _twang_. Taiki let out a huff of frustration; they'd been at this for fifteen minutes and the most he'd gotten was two out of six.

He unsheathed another knife. "Isn't there a skill for this?"

"There is." Devlin conceded. "Never use it."

Taiki paused. "Why not?"

"Skills have cool downs; you don't. We've covered that, but things are different for projectiles." Devlin explained. "If your target's moving, it won't lead them. That alone is bad enough."

Taiki lowered his arm, turning toward Devlin to absorb the lesson.

"Skills for projectiles also deal with a roll for accuracy." Devlin continued. He pulled one of his own throwing knives out. He drew his arm back, the blade glowed blue, and his arm whipped forward, launching the knife towards the stump. It buried itself in the inner orange circle. "It's a random number that decides whether or not you hit your target, and where. You can raise your accuracy, but it'll never be a hundred percent."

Using the same skill, Devlin threw his other four knives one after the other. "And when it matters most, is usually when it'll betray you."

The last knife struck the target straight in the back of the handle. "Don't rely on it, and it can't fail you."

Devlin held his hand out to Taiki, gesturing for his knives. Taiki handed them over, and Devlin proceeded to manually throw them at the target. Not dependent on a cool down, he was able to launch them with a faster cadence than with the skill. Each blade struck point in, each blade buried itself in the target in a tight cluster.

"Like with everything else, train, practice, and rely on your own abilities," Devlin headed over to the stump to retrieve their knives, "and the only thing that can fail you is yourself."

Taiki stood, weighing his words. Devlin made his way back, handing his knives over to him. "Just keep at it, and you'll get the hang of it. Eventually you'll be more reliable and accurate than the system's skill. Just focus on hitting the target with the pointy end for now, worry about accuracy once you can do that consistently."

Taiki nodded, readying a knife and letting it loose. Out of the six blades, three were successful hits. "Are these all that useful? They don't seem to do much damage."

"You'll probably never kill anything with just a throwing knife. Still, they can make a good opening move before you're close enough for your primary, or whenever you've got some distance from your target and see and opening. In a fight, every little chip at your target counts." Devlin lectured. "They don't hurt all that much, but like all weapons, they have the initial strike damage, and gradual damage over time so long as they're stuck in whatever they've hit. Your opponent might leave themselves open for something heavier while they're distracted with dislodging the projectile, or they might elect to ignore it and focus on you. Enough blades'll have the same effect as if you've poisoned them. Still, remember that throwing knives have the lowest durability in the game; a throwing knife on its own will run out and break well before your opponent."

Devlin sheathed his own knives back on his side. "Listen, I've got some stuff I need to take care of; you going to be okay on your own for a bit?"

The corner of Taiki's mouth twitched downwards. "I'm not a child. I'll be fine."

"Right, ok." Devlin scratched at the back of his head. "I'll see you later, then. Just keep practicing, and not just with the knives. Maybe find a sparring partner if you feel like it."

With that said, Devlin quickly made his exit, leaving Taiki alone with this training. Within an hour, he could sink an average of five out of six shots. Once he was comfortable, he began experimenting with different distances from the target, moving closer or father away, or trying to move while throwing them. Lastly, he experimented with throwing the knives with his left hand, since he reasoned that his right would normally be busy with a sword, while his shield left his offhand free. He was surprised at how much easier it seemed, sinking the blades with more accuracy and consistency. He moved the sheath for the knives from his left to his right side and practiced drawing and throwing them in one motion.

_Was I left handed before?_ He wondered.

At Devlin's suggestion, he'd moved his falcata from his right to his left hip after finding it somewhat awkward to draw quickly. In retrospect, he might have drawn the sword with this left hand before. Now that he was used to holding the sword in his right hand, it felt out of place in the left. Another ten minutes later, both satisfied with his progress and bored with the activity, he headed towards the barracks to rent out an NPC to practice against.

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Chie leaned forward in her seat, her elbows resting on the table with her hands clasped together. She peered at the person sitting opposite her. Across from her sat Cedric, cupping his chin in his forefinger and thumb in thought. Between them were the forgotten remnants of their breakfast.

"Well, what do you think?" Chie asked.

"You know what I think." Cedric replied. "Whatever you plan on doing, you know I trust your judgment. The others might object, though."

"I expect Haruki to complain." Chie wiped a hand over her face. "She's great in a fight, but I swear, if it wasn't for Mamoru, she'd probably be gone, already. Of her own volition, or otherwise."

"So, there's me on your side, I think Mamoru will be a bit more welcoming after that event with the store room trap." Cedric listed off. "That just leaves Amber. I don't think she'd object, but I don't think she'd go out of her way to support it."

"But what do _you_ think?" Chie repeated. "Don't just tell me you'll back me up; do you agree?"

Cedric mulled his response over. "I think it's a kind thing to do, but it carries risk. If they object hard enough, we'll lose Haruki, and Mamoru with her, then it'll be like we've traded people. There's also the fact that I'm not sure how much I trust them yet. Still, in the end, I agree with your reasoning and motivations, so I'll support you, but as your second, if I find reason to speak against it, I'll let you know."

Chie gave a slim smile. "Thanks, that's all I could ask for."

The matter concluded, Chie pushed her chair away from the table and stood up. She stacked the plates and deposited them in the kitchen. She was headed for the exit when Cedric spoke up again.

"There another reason we're waiting until the evening to meet up here? Won't take all that long to find a buyer for that sword." Cedric asked

"I want to give them time to decide if they're coming back. To think about what they're going to do next." Chie answered. "And while we're in town, I need to visit the Chronicler."

Cedric met her at the door, handing her a handful of coins with a somber expression. "Pay my respects for me, please."

Chie took the offered money and left, closing the door behind her. Alone, Cedric went back to the table, opening his inventory and withdrawing a few items that he'd collected over their recent journey. He laid them on the table next to each other, studying them. There was the throwing knife that had struck Taiki while they were teleporting back to Schreidenburg, alongside the collected daggers that had dropped three members of their party, one twice. While Cedric trusted Chie completely and supported her decisions, as second in command he considered it his duty to make sure those decisions were as well informed as they could be. There was something about the bandit's attack that didn't sit right with him. Not enough to bother Chie over yet; no sense in making her second guess herself over nothing, but enough to warrant some investigation.

He turned first to the single throwing knife that had been thrown at Taiki. The only thing of note about it was how generic it was. A mass produced cheap item that could be bought almost anywhere that sold such things. Nothing valuable could be gleaned from it. Next were Zahnri's daggers; like the other weapon, they were mass produced, though of a significantly higher grade. They were eight inch throwing daggers with a wide crossgaurd that curled down over the forefinger. Cedric appraised one of the them, finding it to have decent enough stats to be used as either a projectile or a primary weapon, if one specialized in its type and was quick enough. What merited the most attention, however, was not the daggers themselves, but the residue still coating them.

Covering each blade was the expended and dried remains of a viscous, almost gelatinous purple fluid. Cedric held one up, giving it a curious sniff. It had a light, oddly floral aroma. Cedric switched his appraisal from the dagger to the poison. As he already knew, it had a single use. In its expended state, he lacked the skill needed to appraise its stats. What he could see was that it was a custom crafted toxin; a player had made this. Cedric returned the items to his inventory and made his way to the apartment door. If he lacked the ability to properly analyze the poison, it was simply a matter of asking someone who did.

A quarter hour's walk north led him to a wide street full off restaurants with open air patios full of NPCs and players alike on the right side, and on the left was a moderately sized single storey shop situated between two larger three storey gambling houses. Cedric made his way in, finding himself to be the only customer inside. Lining the shelves and stocking the front window displays were a plethora of potions of various colours and purposes. Most were, however, almost entirely for show. While there were potions to temporarily increase every which stat, or strengthen resistance to some specific element or threat, the effect was almost always too slim to bother with, and the effort of manually trying to drink one or several beverages in the heat of battle was far from practical, let alone safe. The majority of the shop's displayed inventory was fodder for any wandering NPC shopper; the real meat of the business sat around and behind the front desk; the only potion everyone was guaranteed to want and need. A wall of red health potions of myriad sizes formed the back of the store, beside which stood the owner of the establishment; Otto, of Honest Otto's Alchemy.

He was a stocky, sturdy young man of average height that looked to be anywhere from twenty one to twenty five. He had brown hair swept back, with a lock that refused to follow its compatriots and instead insisted on hanging down over his left eye. He was clean shaven with a square jaw, though with a pair of what looked like mutton chops if one started growing them and either gave up or lost interest half way. He gave a welcoming grin to his customer as he entered.

"Hello, young lady." Otto said with a voice like sandpaper. "How can I help a pretty thing like you today?"

Cedric frowned. "Hello, Otto."

Otto coughed awkwardly into his hand. "Oh, hey Cecile."

"Cedric."

"Right, right, sorry." Otto sat on a stool behind the counter. "So, whaddya need? Health potions or health potions?"

Cedric made a show of looking around the store for an item that wasn't displayed. "Not quite. You sell poisons, right?"

"That depends on how you mean." Otto replied. "Sure, I sell them, but that don't mean anyone actually buys 'em."

"You craft your own?" Cedric asked.

"Yeah, but only really for the alchemy experience and to unlock new recipes." Otto glanced towards the door when he thought another customer was about to enter. "I usually end up dumping them off at some NPC shop afterwards."

Cedric had been expecting such a response; it was widely known that poisons were almost universally frowned upon. There was first the issue of delivery; there were only two ways to attempt to poison someone. You could either coat a weapon, or try to get your target to, depending on what was being used, inhale to ingest the compound. The trouble with coating weapons was that it didn't have a guaranteed effect, and the coating only lasted so long. Every blow landed had a certain percentile chance to infect the target. Single use poisons had the benefit of a higher effect chance, but at the drawbacks of costing more and, if they failed, they were spent. When one did manage to poison their opponent, the damage done was usually over a period of time longer than most were willing to wait or find immediately helpful. It simply wasn't worth the money for an item that might not actually do anything. Even if it did take hold, it might not be enough to make it worth the effort.

The only guaranteed way to poison a target was through inhalation or ingestion. The effect was stronger, but if one was able to force feed an enemy they likely didn't need any help taking them down. This left ingestion only likely when used on other players, and few wanted to be known for making or using items tailor made for underhanded murder.

Lastly, after spending more than a year learning to fight, nobody felt the need for poisoned weapons. They had been popular in the beginning, with scared players using every tool they could, but now they were viewed as things only used by either those too weak to be stand on their own, or those too underhanded to be trusted. Poisons didn't just taint a weapon, but the reputation of the player wielding it, and a business that specialized in such items would suffer just the same.

Otto cocked an eyebrow. "Why're you asking about this stuff, anyway? If you wanna blow your money, I'll be happy to take it, but if you're into something more sketchy I don't want any part of it."

"I'm not looking to buy," Cedric summoned one of Zahnri's daggers, "I was hoping you could tell me something about the coating on this. I don't have the ability to appraise it."

Otto picked up the offered weapon, turning it over in his hand. His eyes flashed in surprised and he uttered a long, thoughtful, "hmmmmmm."

Cedric waited a moment. "What can you tell me?"

Otto's eyes flicked to a case on the counter, repeating the noise and stroking one of his half formed mutton chops. Cedric took the hint.

"Fine." He grabbed a health potion from the case and deposited a few coins on the counter. Otto's eyes flicked again and Cedric grabbed another and added to the coins. "Well?"

"This is one of the most potent poisons I have ever seen." Otto said, astounded. "It's a custom paralysis type poison, which has a higher cost and lower chance than the other types to balance it out, but this thing has a sixty seven percent chance for a four and a half second effect. Where the hell did you get this?"

"Do you think you could make something like this?"

"Pfft, hell no." Otto dropped the dagger onto the counter. "I don't have the needed skills or know the recipe. I'd likely bankrupt myself just getting my hands on the ingredients, and I could just forget about finding someone willing to _pay_ for it."

"It's that expensive?" Cedric asked, surprised.

"The highest paralyzer I've sold had a sixteen percent chance for a two second stun, and that was after some practice." Otto pointed at the blade between them. "This is a work of art. Simply put, it's worth more in money than it is in battle."

"I don't follow."

"It's single use, so best case is you've stunned one mob. Thing is, no mob I can think of would justify its expenditure. Bosses have too much health for it to really tip the balance far enough. If you need to stun a boss to beat it, it'll just kick your ass when it wears off." Otto explained. "This is like something you sell to collectors with bigger wallets than brains. I ask again, where did you get this?"

"A bandit attacked my guild with it." Cedric answered. "He had a few more just like that."

Otto scratched at his chin. "That makes a bit of sense. Stun a guy, then restrain him and rob him blind. Still, no offense, but this is worth more than you or I could afford. It still might not break even unless he robbed a guy with some real cash to his name."

"Can you tell me who made it" Cedric asked. He glanced over his shoulder at the sound of some commotion across the street.

"I could, but it'll take a little time. Whoever they are, I'm willing to bet this was a custom order; no sense is making something like this if you don't already have a buyer." Otto picked the dagger back up. "You mind leaving a couple of these with me? I'll see what I can find out for you in exchange for the daggers and the residue. I'd like to analyze them and see what they unlock for me."

Cedric summoned another of Zahnri's daggers and handed it over. "Fair enough, and thank you. Message me when you find anything."

"Anytime." Otto grinned. "Hell, even if I get nothing from this gunk I can probably sell it off to another alchemist to try his hand at."

His business concluded, Cedric departed the store, opening the door to reveal a crowd circled around a duel about to begin. The countdown timer reached zero, and the fight began.

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A few moments prior, Mamoru and Haruki were enjoying their lunch in an open air bistro. Across the street was a pair of gambling houses with an alchemist's shop sandwiched in between them. It hadn't taken long at all to dump off their loot at the nearest NPC shop. Now, they just had time to kill. He was sitting leaned back and relaxed, while his wife sat straight and rigid. He was pondering whether or not he wanted to take any of his money to try his luck across the street when he remembered his wife was still talking. He turned back her way, facing her stern eyes.

"Sorry," he excused himself, "zoned out for a moment. I heard you, though."

"So you can see it's only a matter of time until she gets us into more trouble than we can handle." Haruki stated.

"It's a possibility; she's too good natured for her own, um…good, but she isn't stupid." Mamoru took a sip of his drink. Some fruity concoction he hadn't bothered to learn the name of that was far too sweet. "You should cut her a little slack. She's given us plenty."

"You're taking her side?" Haruki crossed her arms.

"I'm saying that even if we'd followed her orders without question, we'd still have ended up where we are now." He placed the drink down, pushing it away. "Maybe just trust her a little bit more; this is _her_ guild, after all."

"We should leave." Haruki suggested. "Just run with the two of us, or maybe start our own guild."

"I'm not doing that again. Not after last time. It's too lonely on our own, and I kinda like our little party." Mamoru spotted Cedric coming down the road. The boy hadn't noticed them and he didn't feel motivated to make themselves known. "You may not like Chie's bleeding heart, but at least she hasn't tried to kill us."

Haruki followed his gaze, seeing Cedric make his way into Otto's across the street. She gave a slight huff. "You're right."

"Eeyup." Mamoru said simply. "Just give her a little more respect and I'm sure things'll smooth out."

He leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes and enjoying the breeze when a shadow fell over him. He opened an eye to peek up at a well-dressed young man standing to the side of their table. "Help you with something?"

The man, a gangly figure with a long face and even longer brown hair, took this as an invitation to try and take a seat. He was dressed in a crimson officer's coat and black trousers. On his hip sat an ornate katana with an ivory grip.

Haruki reached out and grabbed the chair. "Speak first."

"Sorry, name's Lunt." He gave an awkward smile and held out his hand to Haruki. When she made no move to acknowledge it, he held it towards Mamoru.

"Afternoon, Lunt." Mamoru shook the offered extremity. "What do you want?"

Lunt leaned forward, resting his hands on the back of the chair he'd failed to claim. "You two look like a fine pair of fighters. I've got a great quest lined up, but I can't go it alone. What do you say we team up, eh?"

Mamoru waved a hand dismissively. "We just got done with a job. Not interested."

"You sure?" He pressed. "The reward's top notch. Be worth your time, yeh."

"Peddle your quest somewhere else." Mamoru said. "We're already in a guild."

He was about to try again with Haruki when she gave a glare that froze the words in his mouth and forced them back down his gullet. "O-okay. Have a nice one, then."

Lunt made his way to the other end of the bistro behind Haruki to start a new sales pitch on a pair of women in the outermost row of tables near the street. Despite clearly interrupting their meal, they allowed him to sit down.

Mamoru chuckled. "I thought he was about to piss himself."

Haruki smirked. "I was holding back."

"Don't." Haruki reached out a hand to hers. "That's the fire I fell for."

Haruki's expression allowed itself to soften and she curled her fingers around his. She was doubtlessly about to say something clumsily poetic about fire and burning when an older man and a younger woman sitting at the table behind Mamoru got up and made their way past them. The woman brushed against their table, clattering their plates and ruining the moment. Haruki shot a dialed down look their way, which was promptly ignored. She twisted in her chair following their movement, where they stopped by the table Lunt had taken a spot at, behind the boy.

The man was older, likely somewhere in his late sixties or early seventies, bald, but with a light vestigial fringe of greyed hair around his temples. He had a stern, severe face that immediately killed the conversation before them. He wore a set of light half plate armour of a deep purple colour with golden trim under an earthen coloured long coat. On his left hip was a one handed straight sword and on his belt behind him was a parrying dagger with the handle pointing to his left. On his right hip in a leather hoop hung a short but fat warhammer about forty centimeters from the top of the head to the bottom of the handle. On his right hand a steel ring with a rosette could be seen.

His companion was a woman that looked to be barely twenty, with raven hair falling in locks around her shoulders. She wore identical armour to her older companion, sans the long coat. On her right hip was a long shashka type curved sword, and on her left was a warhammer matching the old man's. A worn leather bound book sat hanging in a satchel on her side. Upon closer inspection, a capitol bold letter 'I' was emblazoned in gold on the side of their hammers.

"You're Lunt." The old man declared more than asked.

Lunt glanced behind him. "I am; what of it."

"You'll come with me." The old man again declared. Some of the other conversations died down as they sensed a scene starting to build.

"There a problem?" One of the women he was sitting with asked.

"This man is attempting to solicit your assistance with a quest, correct? A quest to the Hollow Peak." The serious old man asked her. When she nodded, he continued. "I should inform you that he is wanted for murder, and I am here to collect him."

A murmur spread through the bistro as patrons turned to observe this unexpected spectacle.

"He has traveled with three groups to that mountain, and he has killed all of them." The old man said, pausing to allow the murmuring of the crowd to quiet. "Hollow Peak is a maze with a wide anti-crystal zone. He plans on taking you into this maze to split you up and rob you, after which he will kill you."

At this, the two women instinctively leaned away from their guest. Lunt turned towards the old man. "The hell are you talking about."

"Though one cannot teleport out of the Hollow Peak, they can send a message for help. While you've killed your last catch, her call was heard, and her words made their way to me." The old man grabbed Lunt's chair and roughly pulled it away from the table. He spoke in a grand voice that carried across the entire collected assembly. "You are wanted for the murders first of Lysandre and Kenneth, then Gwyn, Sandris and Lito, followed finally by Hanaki!"

"I have no idea what you're talking about!" Lunt shouted. "Get lost!"

"Your guilt has been judged; I cannot be swayed." The old man eye's bored down into the boy. "You have but three options; come with me now, or try and run. Next time we meet will be outside of town, and I will not announce myself again. I will cut you down with neither mercy nor warning."

"That's two options, dumbass." Lunt scoffed.

"The third is you duel me. If you win I'll bother you no more." The old man said. "Or do you not like to do your killing out on the open?"

Lunt stood up. "Fine, you wanna go? What're we doin'? First strike? First to yellow? Let's play it dangerous and make it first to red."

"Total elimination." The old man corrected, opening his menu and issuing the challenge. When Lunt balked, he smirked. "My mistake, I thought I was hunting a hardened killer, instead I've found a frightened child."

Lunt stepped back, eyeing the crowd around them. The old man spotted his hesitation. "C'mon, I thought you were tough. Can you only strike from the shadows or do you have any guts? Let's make this worth our time and add some money to the deal; winner takes all."

"Fine!" Lunt opened his menu and accepted the duel. His honour was insulted, but more importantly money was to be gained. A sixty second counter appeared above them and started counting down. "Your funeral."

The two made their way into the street with the crowd trailing after. Mamoru wanted to put some distance between themselves and the now inevitable incident but ended up following Haruki as she made her way into the audience. The crowd formed into a wide circle to give the two combatants a decent berth.

"Just one question before I kill you." Lunt started as the countdown neared ten. "Who are you?"

"Who I am is of no concern, but I will tell you _what_ I am." The old man shed his long coat and passed it to his young companion, revealing a figure much more stout and solid than one would expect for someone his age. He drew his sword; a straight, single edged coal coloured blade with a tanto style tip. "I am the Inquisitor, and this is your final warning; I can either take you to prison or I can send you to hell."

* * *

Author's Notes: I wanted to have a chapter where the characters split up so I could focus on them more individually and flesh them out a bit without having any impending events drawing too much attention. This came off a little dialogue heavy at times, but I hope it's tolerable. I also wanted to spend this chapter on a little world building. I'm hoping to be able to show things happening that don't always have to do with direct input from the main characters, some of which end up becoming more important than others might. It ended up being a lot longer than I expected, so I cut it into a couple parts.

I kind of see Devlin acting as some sort of amoral Obi-Wan to Taiki, if that makes any sense, so their conversations might have more exposition or explanation of the game world than others.

As usual, thanks for bearing with me long enough to get here. Reviews are always appreciated.


	9. Chapter 7: Respite and Ruminations Pt 2

The countdown timer hanging between the two continued to make its way down as the combatants readied themselves for their fight. A few members of the crowd perked their ears at the declaration of whom they were witnessing, though most didn't recognize the title. Haruki and Lunt were in the latter category. She eyed the two that had started the altercation; a stern looking old man and a girl either in her late teens or barely twenty that appeared young enough to be his granddaughter. Lunt drew his sword, holding it high with the point forward in a two handed grip. The Inquisitor held his sword down to the right, almost casual.

Haruki nudged her husband. "Who is this guy? Name rings a bell but I can't place it."

"I heard about him back in Sveltheim." Mamoru replied, trying to see past the person in front of him. "Some kind of bounty hunter or vigilante, I think. We should go."

"No." Haruki muscled someone to the side, allowing her shorter husband to slip forward for a better view. "I want to see this."

The final five seconds counted down with an audible chime on each second before reaching zero with a gong. The two charged each other, quickly closing the five meters between them. Lunt opened with a quick downwards slash at the old man's head. The Inquisitor swung his blade up to block and continued forward, shoulder checking the boy and transferring his momentum to him, knocking Lunt backwards with enough force for his feet to briefly leave the ground. He was still in range for the Inquisitor to rake a cut across his chest. Lunt swung upwards, hitting nothing but air and leaving him open for a pair of rapid slashes.

The crowd started to grow in size as other players wandered over, drawn in by the event, effectively sealing the two in a ring of people. Lunt surged forward, swinging his blade in from the side, aiming for the ribs. With his left hand, the Inquisitor drew his parrying dagger, catching the blade in its crossgaurd. With his right hand he stabbed his sword upwards into his chin and through the top of his head, lifting the boy to his toes. He twisted the blade around, forcing it down to cut through his entire length and dropping his health deep into the yellow. The Inquisitor leaned forward to head butt him, causing him to stagger back a step. The old man followed by pivoting on his left foot and snapping his right out in a sidekick that punched into the boy's gut. Lunt gave himself some space, doubt and anger playing over his face as he realized he may have made a grave mistake.

"You chose poorly." The Inquisitor grimly stated, slowly advancing towards him.

Lunt back up step for step, keeping his distance. The crowd behind him moved out of the way, parting to either side while still forming a solid wall. They didn't have anything to fear; neither fighter could hurt them within the city walls, but nobody wanted to interfere in the active duel or take a side in a situation they neither had a stake in nor enough knowledge of to judge. Lunt's back bumped against a table in the bistro their encounter had started in; he was out of room to retreat.

"This is as far as you go." The Inquisitor held his sword low and charged.

Lunt tried to keep backing up, letting loose a throwing knife at his advancing opponent. The old man swatted it away with his parrying dagger like a minor nuisance; it landed somewhere in the crowd. The Inquisitor closed the distance, swinging his sword up to bat away a desperate stab as the boy started moving back around the table, continuing around into a slash that cut into his right collar and exited at his opposing hip. Lunt made one last strike, swinging his sword in from the side. The old man halted the attack by stabbing his dagger into the wrist of Lunt's sword arm. He wrenched the limb to the side and forced it down, staking the dagger through the table and pinning Lunt's arm in place. He let go of his dagger, leaving it there and grabbing Lunt by the collar. The Inquisitor placed the guard of his sword across the boy's neck with the crossgaurd at his chin, and drew the length of his sword along his throat with a flourish.

Lunt's health emptied and he burst into polygons in the old man's grasp. He plucked his dagger from the table, returning his weapons to their sheaths. His young companion opened her leather clad book and drew a pencil from a pocket in its cover, drawing a line across the page over the name 'Lunt'.

"Show's over." He said, addressing the crowd. "Go about your business."

"Who the hell does this guy think he is?" Mamoru asked, surprised by the fight and disgusted by their self-assured authority.

His wife didn't reply. Mamoru looked up at her, worried at her expression. She was impressed, clearly approving of what had just taken place.

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Devlin made his way through the streets. He was headed back to the teleporter cluster they'd arrived to the city from. The street was densely crowded with players and NPCs going to a fro. It was discomforting, being surrounded by this many people. Devlin instinctively tried to keep track of all of them; where they were going, what they were holding, what they were armed with and whether or not they could easily draw and fight in the confines of their current environment.

A few players gave him an odd look at they passed. After a moment, Devlin realized why. With his mask still covering his face from the bridge of his nose down, he was the only person hiding his face. This combined with his deep red cloak did not make him appear particularly welcoming. Someone brushed against into him from behind. Devlin spun, surprised, sweeping the offending person's feet out from under her. Before he realized it his short sword was in his hand.

"Ow. Excuse me." The girl got to her feet and gave a short bow. She gave him and his sword a bemused look. A few curious onlookers turned their way at the commotion. "Aren't we jumpy."

Devlin sheathed his weapon and awkwardly returned the bow and apology and quickly tried to disappear back into the general crowd. It'd been months since he'd last been in any town, let alone the Starting City. Usually, this many people meant that a threat could come from any angle; now it just meant he was acting paranoid. He took a deep breath and tried to calm himself. He was in town; he was safe. Nobody knew who or what he was, and nobody could hurt him. Still, after trying so hard to be allowed back into a safe zone, he was surprised by how much he didn't like it here. The town hadn't really changed since the last time he'd been here, but it still felt strangely alien. He gave the notion some thought, resuming his walk to the teleporters. It wasn't the town that was off, it was him. He couldn't help but feel he didn't belong here.

After reaching the teleporters and waiting his turn, he entered the archway and, after a series of six random jumps, traveled to the twenty eighth floor. Another trio of teleportations led him to a medium sized town by the name of 'Bresden Hills'. It was a pleasant enough collection of buildings sitting in the middle of an unremarkable plain. The town's outer wall was made of wooden palisades, outside which were farmland on all sides.

This town was populated with a large amount of NPCs, but traffic from players had died down some time ago, though it had a small collection of permanent residences due to the pleasantly peaceful region. Devlin made his way to the south end of town, down a road lined with spaced out wooden cabins. He stopped in front of one. It was a single storey affair of modest size. Its walls had a deep brown wood stain and a couple windows with curtains drawn shut. In front of him was the door, painted a rich burgundy. Devlin inserted the key and entered, the door pushing the dust on the hardwood floor into a pile. He closed it behind him.

"I'm home." He said to nobody.

Before him was the common room, connected to the kitchen. In the kitchen was a table with seating for five. In the middle of the common room was a sofa with a blanket bunched up on one end and a pillow on the other. Devlin thought back; Zerrin never did care much for beds, and had preferred sleeping in the common room to keep watch despite being in a safe zone. Devlin crouched down besides the sofa, fishing his hand underneath it until he found what he was looking for. He pulled out a sturdy metal lockbox with two tumblers, doubtlessly containing the remaining belongings of his old guild mate. It was about the size of a shoebox, but was weighty. He shook it, hearing something clunk around inside.

"I'll take this." Devlin eyed the locks with a frown; Zerrin probably had they keys with him when he'd died.

_This might take some work._ He thought, adding it to his inventory.

Beside the front window was a pair of cushy chairs, between which sat a small table. On it was an unfished game of chess; cobwebs had formed over the pieces. He studied the board for a moment, trying to remember who had been what colour. Unable to recall, he reached out and toppled both the kings and strolled down the hall. To the left of the kitchen was a hallway leading to the bedrooms; one on either side. Farther down on the left was the storeroom, and at the end of the hall sat the washroom. He entered the bedroom on the left. There were two beds at opposite sides of the room. He walked up to the bed by the right and pulled off the dusty blanket, sitting down. Devlin pulled down his mask and ran his hand through his hair before resting his head in his hands.

It'd been some time since he'd been here; not since he'd been stuck red. He looked over the room. By the door was a half-filled bookshelf. On the nightstand next to his bed sat a mostly spent candle and an old book bearing the title 'Crime and Punishment'. He couldn't help but chuckle lightly at the title and returned it to his inventory as well as the books on the shelf. Above his bed on the wall was a weapon rack with nothing on it. On the opposing wall above the other bed was a pair of hand axes crossed over a coat of arms. Devlin pulled them down, placing them both in his inventory. He looked down at the bed, the sheets unmade.

"You're not using them anymore." He explained to the empty room. He grabbed a guitar leaning against the bedside table. "You were never any good with this, anyways."

He collected any items that caught his eye in the other bedroom. Under a bed big enough for two he found a wooden box with a small stash of money and a gift box with a decent ring inside. On the bedside table was a silver picture frame with a photo of a smiling couple. He removed the picture and tossed it aside, pocketing the frame. Lastly, he went to the storeroom and cleaned out anything of value that he could fit into his inventory. Once he had all he could carry, he took a quick walk into town and sold most of what he'd taken. A few trips later and the house was cleared out of anything worth anything. With nothing else to do here, he made his way back to the front door, exiting his home. He placed the key into the lock and left it there. A few minutes later the house was sold as is to the NPC realtor in town. Devlin set a course for the teleporter and didn't look back.

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Sparring practice had proved a productive use of time. It had started rough, with him getting laid out flat a few times, but found he improved with each round. By the time he'd left, it was almost three thirty in the afternoon and he was able to at least hold his own in a one on one fight with the NPC trainers. Still, he realized that skills fighting human sized NPC opponents might not necessarily transfer well to fighting inhuman monsters, or even other people. Taiki hoped the latter wouldn't be an issue going forward.

Having left the training grounds, he'd wandered into a general store. Taiki bought a teleporter crystal to replace the one that he'd used the night before. The storeowner had given him an odd look the entire time, trying to figure out whether or not he was dealing with a fellow player or not. Wanting to avoid the topic, Taiki had wrapped up his purchase and left the store without making any small talk.

The street was wide; four lanes across, though if he thought about it, Taiki wasn't really sure what a lane was a measure of. He was struck again by just how many people were around. He'd done a little reading and found that The Town of Beginnings was the largest and most heavily populated city in the world, or rather, the game. Taiki had spent some time visiting a couple of what appeared to be governmental buildings, but found the NPCs inside less than helpful. They were there for show or to provide quests or mildly useful information about the city; nothing that helped him with finding any answers about himself.

There was only one place he could think of that might help; something the information broker's sister had told him about back in Sveltheim. He just needed to know where to find it. Taiki attempted to grab the attention of a passing player, but he paid no mind to him, walking by. He tried again with a trio of people who merely adjusted their path around him. Agitated at their rudeness, he spoke a bit louder and waved at the next person. He waved him away, saying something about being busy and brushed past. He hadn't even looked him in the eye. Someone bumped into him as they passed. Taiki turned to see who it was, but they hadn't even slowed.

Everywhere Taiki looked, there were icons mixed with the NPCs. A player fast walking down the sidewalk roughly bumped into a person coming out of a shop, both apologizing to the other and going their separate ways. He looked up at the vacant spot over himself.

_I'm just one of the drones to them._ He though. _ Just filler._

Taiki felt alien here; isolated. It was surprising how alone one could be in a crowd when nobody in it realized you existed. He frowned, refusing to let himself be nothing but a face in the crowd, and not wanting to have to ask another NPC for info. He walked purposefully towards a larger man at a storefront. He placed a hand on his shoulder and lightly but sternly turned him to face him.

"What is" He started, tilting his head back to look up at Taiki and his determined expression, "it?"

He proved helpful enough, and shortly after Taiki was on his way. A brief walk later he'd stopped in front of a large building slightly east of the center of town. The structure was built like an impressive cathedral, with spires reaching higher than any of the others in the immediate vicinity. He opened one of the massive wooden double doors and entered. The building was mostly one huge empty room, with nothing but a polished granite floor where one might have expected pews. Lining the walls were stone pillars, behind which was a recess in the walls that wrapped around half the back of the building. In this alcove he could make out marble statues between the columns; figures standing either heroically or posed like saints. Light filtered in through lightly stained blue glass windows lining the upper walls and a large circular skylight over the far end of the room. Under the skylight, at the top of a pair of steps on a raised dais was what he was here for.

It was a massive dark grey stone slab three meters tall and ten meters long. As he drew closer, he realized the stone itself was polished black, with names etched in grey onto its surface. The Monument of Life. On the floor in front of it sat a copper bowl containing a few flowers and sticks of slowly burning incense. To the left of the stone was a short stool next to a round wooden table with a massive leather bound book and a vase with a bouquet of white roses on top. At this monolithic slab was the only other person in the room; a young man stood near the monument, staring into it. He appeared to be around sixteen, and was unarmoured, instead wearing an outfit with a black long coat with a high collar. The long coat had a dark blue fringe around the shoulders with small round steel studs arranged across it. A one handed sword was held in a sheath on his back. His almost too long hair was as dark as his long coat.

Taiki paused, still at the bottom of the steps in front of the monument. The somber, quiet atmosphere made him feel like he might have just walked into some private moment. The swordsman reached out a hand to the slab and touched a name, speaking a word too low for Taiki to hear. He gave a sigh and turned to leave, eyeing Taiki on his way out. Unable to resist his curiosity, Taiki walked up to the monument and looked to the name the boy had reached for; Sachi. A horizontal line crossed it out.

While most names were unmarked, there were quite a few names with a line drawn over them. Knowing what this meant, calling the slab the Monument of Life felt like a mockery. From this perspective it was more like a giant headstone on an inevitable mass grave, patiently waiting for those still living to join those who'd already fallen, turning the Room of Resurrection into a tomb. Taiki tried not to let this comparison bother him. He took a step back, looking over the face of the monument, hoping something would somehow jump out at him or catch his eye.

_Okay, every name in the world is in front of you. _He thought to himself. _Find yours._

"What are you?" A quiet voice asked.

Taiki nearly jumped; as far as he'd seen he was alone. A figure that had been so still he'd taken her for a statue stepped from beside one of the columns into the light. She was short, barely a hundred thirty centimeters, or five foot one. She had a thin, frail build. What was most noticeable was what she wore, as it completely obscured the rest of her. The girl was dressed in a long pitch black dress of Victorian design that reached down to the floor. The sleeves ended at her elbows, but a pair of long silk gloves of the same colour ran all the way up her arms. Her hat had an impenetrable black veil that wrapped around her entire head. Draped on her shoulders was a translucent grey shawl made of such thin and light material that she might as well have been wreathed in smoke. The result was that not a single inch of her was visible, not even a stray lock of hair.

She didn't walk so much as glide over to him. Her hands were clasped together in front of her. "Or rather, _who_ are you?"

Her voice was faint, soft, yet somehow felt like it carried an incredible weight. She ascended the steps and stood next to him. Taiki was momentarily caught off guard by this unexpected vision.

"I'm sorry." He replied. "I didn't see you there."

"It's alright." She said, tilting her head slightly. "You are no NPC."

Taiki felt relieved that someone in this city had noticed. "How could you tell?"

"An NPC only sees the object; they don't see the names, don't realize their meaning." She answered.

"Oh." He could only say, trying to look back into her veil where he assumed her eyes would be.

"I'm sorry to press, but who are you?" She asked. "We've not met before."

"I'm Taiki."

"There is no need to deceive." She stated.

Taiki frowned, again surprised. When she caught his expression, she gestured towards the slab. "There is no Taiki listed here."

"Well, I'm _called_ Taiki." He started. Despite having had this conversation a few times now, he was never sure how to explain it. "Truth is I don't know my name."

"How strange." She said, not questioning his unusual set of circumstances. "And sad; to be without name is to be without definition. A name is not just a word, but identity; they are the easiest shorthand of explaining 'this is me', and all that meaning carries. You must feel lost without this."

Taiki paused, struck by her words. He found himself looking at the floor. "I do. I don't know anything about myself."

She continued. "And no icon. I haven't seen something like this before. Please, forgive my asking this, but how did this happen to you?"

He sighed. "I wish I knew."

"I hope you have not found yourself alone." The girl prompted. "To be both unknown and alone would be a terrible thing."

"Thankfully, no." Despite her all-encompassing funeral attire and manner of speaking, he found this strange sad girl disarmingly easy to confide in. "With how many people think I'm just an NPC, I'm glad at least that isn't the case."

"You're searching for yourself?"

"I am." He looked over the slab again.

"I wish you the best of luck in finding what you seek. If I can be of any assistance, I would be happy to do so." Taiki could almost hear a slight smile when she next spoke. "For what it's worth, Taiki would appear to fit you quite nicely."

Taiki returned the perceived smile. "Thank you."

They conversed for a time, filling in some of his knowledge of the world. When asked, he started explaining everything that had led him to this point. He started at his awakening on the beach, telling how he'd found his guild and about their trip to the Starting City. She winced at the mention of the bandits, but offered no interjection. She absorbed his tale with welcoming ears. Once he'd caught up to the present, he glanced at the clock in his HUD. It was nearly five; he'd spent more than an hour talking with this girl without noticing. He recalled that he'd not eaten since the night before. Having run out of things to talk about, he politely excused himself to find something to appease his appetite.

She placed a hand on his upper arm, a slightly comical yet touching gesture, as she had to reach up to do so. "Be safe, Taiki, and Farewell."

He bid her goodbye and headed for the exit. He was reaching for the door when it opened before his hand took hold of it. On the other side was Chie. She smiled, not expecting to see him here.

"Oh, hey." She held the door open for him. Chie looked past him at the monument, discerning his reason for coming her. "Any luck finding your name?"

"No." He stepped outside.

"That's too bad; I guess it was too much to hope just looking at the thing might jog your memory." Chie said, entering the building. "I've some business to attend to here; I'll see you at the apartment later, okay?"

The two went their separate ways, with Chie approaching the monument. She was wearing a set of casual clothes; a light blue short sleeved shirt and tan trousers. Despite being out of her armour she still wore her sword on her hip. Like most people, she'd gotten used to its weight; taking it off just left her feeling off balance. One of many small adaptions players had made without thinking that would undoubtedly fail to mesh with the real world once they returned to it. Chie took long strides towards the girl and the monument. She took a small cloth bag with the coins Cedric had given her and a few of her own and held it in her right hand. Once she reached the girl, she took a knee, briefly bowing her head in respect and depositing the coin purse into the Chronicler's gloved palm.

"I thank you for your generosity." She said, lifting her hand against Chie's, bidding her to rise.

"And I, for your time." Chie replied, standing.

Donations were not necessary when meeting the Chronicler, but Chie usually did anyways. There weren't many players who hadn't heard of the Chronicler, though in truth very little was known about her. As far as Chie was aware nobody knew her name, in game or otherwise. Her age could have been anywhere from fifteen to twenty five. Even her face was unknown, always hidden behind her veil. What was known was that about nine months ago a player noticed that whenever they visited the Monument, the girl was almost always there, providing company or comfort to any player that came there to grieve a fallen friend or comrade.

Every day she arrived before sunrise, and every day she read the monument, comparing the names of all ten thousand players to the written copy in her massive book and recording the date of death for any newly deceased. Flowers were arranged and incense burned whenever a new name was found crossed out. If they had any remaining allies or friends who wished it, a funeral could be arranged. In the world of Aincrad, she'd become one of the few absolute and dependable constants. It was common enough for people to visit the monument after losing someone, and it was always comforting knowing there was someone there who was aware of the loss and genuinely cared, providing both a shoulder to cry on or an ear to listen.

The Chronicler wasn't only associated with death. She didn't just note a player's end, but recorded their stories. People would tell her of fallen friends, and she would write down their tales so they wouldn't be forgotten, as well as recording important moments and events in the world at large. Though Chie had never seen it, she'd heard of the Chronicler's ever growing hand written library of Aincrad's ongoing history. Word of her spread, and in time, respect and appreciation had turned to a sort of reverence. As far as anyone knew she almost never left the cathedral; the only other place she'd been seen with regularity was in a flower garden she tended nearby. Occasional donations or purchasing some of the white roses she grew were a simple way of giving thanks. Unofficial and unwritten customs had formed around her, and the proper way of addressing her. Even the method of greeting her was something that just sort of happened; taking a knee. It might have started due to some over dramatic person, or perhaps someone taller than average had done it to bring himself down to her level. Either way, even without the Chronicler's input it had become an unspoken expectation. While the Room of Resurrection and the cathedral it was in wasn't player owned, it was widely accepted as her domain.

"Your guild has an intriguing new addition." She commented, placing the coin purse on her table and taking a few flowers from the vase. "He is traveling with your party, yes?"

"For the moment; he was with us on our last job." Chie accepted the flowers when the girl offered them; white roses with peculiar grey streaks down the center of each petal. "What happens next is still in the air."

Chie looked to the copper bowl at the foot of the monument; seven red roses and seven sticks of incense. One for Zahnri, four for the group his comrades had ambushed, and two for the bandits that had fallen to the town guards. If there was any consolation, it was that nobody else had perished over the last day.

Perceptive, the Chronicler followed her gaze. "Four of them had just visited me only two weeks ago. They were a charming group. The other three I did not know. A sad day."

"It was; I was there. Three were bandits, the other four were their victims." Chie turned back towards the girl. "May I have their names? I'd like to mourn the ones that deserve it."

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There weren't many people out here, and nobody nearby. The park was aesthetically beautiful, but other than that served little practical purpose. He'd come out here after the Chronicler had marked it on his map and recommended it as a place to relax and think a little. Flowers lined both sides of the winding walkways and trails over foothills and knolls, all meeting in a hub around an impressive fountain at the park's center. He wandered off the beaten path towards an isolated bench and sat down, enjoying the view. In time, his thoughts turned to his self.

He looked down at his left hand, clenching and unclenching his fist. While he'd been stabbed or slashed or cut or bashed an alarming amount in the last few days, the sight of the dagger impaling its way through his hand had been his first real good look at it happening. Everything else had happened too quick to pay much mind to. Zahri's dagger was different; he'd felt it enter his hand, and watched it continue through the other side. He looked over the park and its gardens.

_It's beautiful, but none of it's real._ He looked back down at his hand. _None of it._

He took a more studious approach to this issue.

_This isn't my real body; I'm sleeping in a hospital somewhere. This is just a deception housed in some kind of machine. Like a puppet my mind is wearing._

He drew one of his throwing knives in his right hand and held it against his left palm. After reminding himself that it couldn't actually hurt him, he pressed the tip into the flesh of his hand. The blade sank an inch and he removed it. A glowing red wound marked his experiment and started to fade a moment later. He clenched his fist around the fading wound; the muscles under his skin flexed in turn. Surrendering to his curiosity, he pressed the knife to his forearm.

_How deep does the illusion go?_

In the town's safe zone, nobody or their weapons could harm him. While his own could apparently still penetrate his skin, there was still no damage to his health bar. He pressed the blade point in and pushed it into his forearm. He tried moving it to the side to see into the wound, but the red marker was flat. While it sounded like he was stabbing into flesh, the wound wasn't really any sort of opening or gouge. He worked at the knife, becoming engrossed in his inspection behind the curtain. It was a strange sensation. He could feel the knife moving inside, but while it wasn't anything near unbearably painful, it certainly didn't feel good. It was a very strong discomfort, just shy of real pain. He twisted the knife, causing the fingers on his arm to twitch in a slight spasm.

_Interesting_.

He tried to repeat the motion but his knife tapped against something harder. By its location it must have been his radius bone. He'd been attacked with blows that had cut through bone before; it was denser, but followed the same rules as the rest of his body. If stabbed or slashed, the blade would still pass through. He slid the blade up his arm and dug a couple fingers into the wound, feeling around and touching the radius.

_If a sword strikes this, it'll cut straight through but leave it whole, so long as it doesn't sever it._ He thought. _I wonder if it's possible to break or dislodge any bones. Blunt force trauma, maybe?_

"What're you doing?" Someone asked, over his shoulder.

For the second time today, Taiki was surprised by unexpected company. Without thinking he bolted upright and swung his right arm around at the person directly behind him, catching her full across the face and jerking her head to the side hard enough to drop her to the ground.

"Ow." Amber said, sitting up and pushing her jaw back into its joint. "Sorry I asked."

Taiki bent down to help her to her feet. "I'm so sorry. I didn't hear you coming."

"My fault for sneaking up on you, I guess." Amber conceded, rubbing her cheek. "But really, what're you doing?"

She was dressed in a blouse the same colour as her namesake and dark grey shorts. Like most people, she was still armed.

Taiki remembered he'd left the knife sticking out of his forearm. He plucked it out and sheathed it. "Um…just trying to figure some stuff out."

"By stabbing yourself." Amber cocked an eyebrow. "Must've learned a lot."

"Just trying to get a look at the strings." He said.

_That must sound like nonsense._ Taiki thought. He was about to explain himself when Amber stepped closer and spoke in a low voice.

"It's not the marionette's strings you're poking at; it's more like the woven fabric of our world. Trust me, it's best to leave it be and not tug at the edges or you'll end up tangled in loose threads leading nowhere." Amber said with a smile. "Bit of a warning; the cloth of this world is harder to unravel than the mind worrying at it. Accept it and it won't bother you, so long as you remember that we're real, and for us, the illusion is reality."

"…huh." Taiki said simply.

"…huh?" She parroted back. "What?"

"It's just, I didn't expect you to say something so…" Taiki searched for the word. "philosophical."

"What's _that _supposed to mean?" She asked.

"Nothing." He answered. He made a show of looking around. "Hey, where's Brenda?"

"I sent her on some errands when I saw you over here." She pointed to her companion as she exited the park, taking the bait and allowing the change in subject. "Hey, what're you doing until we head back to base?"

He shrugged. "Going to shop around for some new gear and whatever else I might need."

"Mind if I come?" She asked.

"Sure." He said, happy to have the company.

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She was headed through town on her way to her next destination with long purposeful strides. She entered the blacksmith's and deposited Amber's armour on the counter. The NPC behind it took it away to perform the requested maintenance and upgrade. Brenda stood to the side of the door, patiently waiting for the smithy to complete his task. A minute later the armour was returned with the durability repaired and the requested stats upgraded; a two percent increase in damage resistance from piercing attacks and a five percent increase to resistance to paralysis poisons. The two NPCs didn't bother with any small talk, but exchanged the amount of pleasantries expected in such an encounter.

With no menu to open, the armour disappeared back into Brenda's inventory. With the armour taken care of, Brenda set out on her next task; purchasing antidote crystals. She was dressed in a light blue sundress that reached just below her knees. It offered none of the damage resistance of her usual garb, but Amber seemed to enjoy giving her other outfits to wear whenever they had time between quests. If she'd given it any thought she'd find it more comfortable, or that the colour matched her eyes.

Brenda reviewed the quest that bound her to her escort. Her parents had been killed by an uruk warband. She needed to find their den and avenge the deaths of her family.

_Main objectives: Find clues: 0/8, Locate Den: Incomplete, Kill Uruk Chieftain: Incomplete_

_Secondary objective: Kill Chief Guard: 0/12_

_Days since quest start: 147 _

_Days until quest expiration: No value specified_

She entered a player owned store for the next item on her shopping list. The proprietor gave her a friendly greeting before ignoring her to focus on a more human customer. Not bothered or noticing the treatment, Brenda purchased a pair of general purpose antidote crystals and exited the shop. Having completed her tasks, she turned in the direction of her escort and started back towards Amber. None of the players she passed paid her any mind, but she had no business with them so the lack of attention was mutual. Halfway down the street Brenda paused.

She looked into the window of the confectionery she'd stopped in front of. Among the other items on display she could see a platter full of small round lemon cakes. She had no directions to purchase foodstuffs. Brenda had no preference when it came to food, but lemon cakes were something of a favourite of Amber's, and these had a thin glaze and small candied bits of the fruit scattered on top in the way she particularly liked. Her tasks had taken less time than expected and less money than allotted. Brenda checked the price in the window, but she had no directions to purchase foodstuffs.

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It was almost time to return to base. Content with his new purchases, Taiki and Amber made their way back at a leisurely stroll. In addition to his falcata and throwing knives, he now wore a twenty inch, or fifty centimeter long kukri in a sheath strapped to his right thigh. It had a hefty blade that pitched forward about thirty degrees halfway down, ending in a fat point closer to an axe head than a sword tip. On his right side below his throwing knives, just above his belt was a six inch karambit knife with the handle pointed in a way that it could either be drawn in his left hand, or in his right in a reverse grip. His left side was devoted to pockets with assorted items on hand; namely health potions.

Amber strolled besides him, looking like she was about to ask another question.

"So, what's it like? I mean, not knowing who you are?" She asked. "It seems like it'd be really weird, but if not knowing is all you can remember knowing, then do you just get used to it?"

"It _is_ weird." Taiki sighed. "It's not just my name I don't remember; when I first found Devlin I didn't even know what SAO was. Apart from that I don't think I remember anything at all about the real world."

"So, like a blank slate, then." Amber suggested.

"No, not really." They turned the corner on the street to the Wanderer's Den. He could see Haruki and Mamoru already heading inside. "It's a little hard to explain."

Amber stepped in front of him, twirling towards him and bringing their walk to a halt. "Try me."

"Well, I didn't know much of anything about SAO or the game world, but other than acronyms and other lingo I still haven't forgotten our language; I can speak just fine." Taiki tried to think of a way to explain himself. "But there are words in my vocabulary that I don't understand."

"What do you mean?" Amber asked.

"I know words, but don't understand what they mean." Taiki searched for an example. "Like…ethernet. It's a word I know, but damned if I can tell you what it is."

"It's frustrating, having stuff in your head that you can't picture or define." He continued, getting a little flustered as he spoke. "Thumb drive; it sounds like a verb, but I think it's a noun. Or japan; that one keeps coming back to me and I can't figure out what it is but it feels like it means something important. Can you tell me, what's a japan?"

Amber frowned in concern. "Japan's a place. It's where we are."

Taiki furrowed his brow. "Is it the name of this floor?"

"No, it's the country we live in, in the real world."

"Oh." Taiki forced a slim smile. "I guess the term 'Japanese' makes a lot more sense now."

There was a moment of silence as Amber processed his explanation. Wanting to change the subject, Taiki put forward a question that had been on his mind. "I've been wondering, is it common for people to have NPC companions? I don't think I've seen anyone else with one but you."

"Most quests that have an NPC follower are escort quests. Those are no fun, and nobody likes doing them. Even brokers will sometimes leave those alone." Amber leaned against the wall of the building they were next to. "Then there are quests like the one Brenda has; I'm supposed to help her complete her mission, and she'll follow me in the meantime."

"It sounds pretty useful, having the backup." Taiki commented.

"Not really." Amber replied. "They're usually not all that great in a fight. Brenda's pretty okay but I wouldn't bet on her in a one on one with a human player."

"Oh." Taiki leaned against the wall next to her. "I would've guessed most people also don't like being stuck with an NPC all the time. The ones I've spoken to have been a little unsettling."

"Their AIs can vary. I had one that told great campfire stories, and another that always got tangled in the furniture." She softly laughed to herself at the memory before continuing. "There's also the issue that, unlike regular quests, companion quests have a time limit, and you can only have one at a time. It's probably to balance things out, or to save system resources, or something."

Amber started counting the fingers on her hands. "I think I've had…thirtee-…no, fifteen followers."

"Really?" Taiki wasn't expecting such a high figure for such an unpopular feature.

"Yup. Before Brenda was Mihel; he left after a week. Then there was Bison; brawny guy. Had him for a couple weeks. Before that was Claire; she couldn't fight at all, but she sang nice. She left after three days." She rubbed at her chin. "Then there was Noir; he was actually good with an axe, but wasn't much of a talker. I think…Daven was the one before him; kinda cute, but had this really grating laugh. Oh, before that was Verron. He played piano; I learned a little bit of how to play from him. He stuck around for a whole two months."

Taiki was a little discomforted by her list. It sounded like she was reciting past friends more than artificial followers. "How long will Brenda be with you?"

"I got lucky with her." Amber kicked off the wall excitedly and turned towards him. "See, her quest doesn't seem to _have_ any expiration date. It's actually really weird; I've never found one like her. She's not the best at conversation, but I don't think she's going anywhere. We've been friends for almost five months now."

"How long have you been in Chie's guild?" He asked.

"Only a little bit." Amber answered. "Couple weeks."

Taiki noticed she hadn't included any human friends in her recollections before joining her current party. He was about to ask about it when she twirled away and started walking again, cutting short his question before he could put it to words. "We should head back; don't want to keep them waiting."

He frowned, but followed after without further comment. Their conversation had given them both something to process. She led the way back into the Wanderer's Den and up to Chie's apartment. Other than Haruki and Mamoru, Chie and Cedric were already there. The first three were sharing a pot of tea while Cedric sat in his chair, sketching his empty cup. The guild leader gave them a warm greeting and a smile as they entered. He could hear the next door over open and shut, and soon after Brenda appeared. She gave Amber back her armour, as well as a wrapped tray of something that smelled like lemon that caused the girl to wrap her NPC in an appreciative hug. Amber opened the package and placed the tray of cakes on the table, insisting everyone try some.

It wasn't until thirty minutes later that the last member of their party showed up. By then, the tea and cakes were spent and Amber and Brenda had gone next door. Taiki was sitting in the window side chair studying his menus after Cedric had wandered into the other room. Devlin entered without comment and stood anxiously at the door, only returning Chie's greeting. Taiki stood up and crossed the room to him.

"Hey." Taiki looked him over, speaking low. "You okay?"

"You've got yourself some new gear." Devlin observed, ignoring the question. He slipped his finger into the retention ring on the karambit and pulled it out, appraising the blade. "Good on ya."

He twirled the knife around his finger and slipped it back into its sheath. He eyed his kukri, but thankfully didn't feel the need to reach for it. "Nice kit."

Taiki furrowed his brow; Devlin looked uneasy. He spoke in a voice low enough that only Devlin could hear him "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I just know why Chie wanted to wait so long to split the spoils." He replied without explaining.

The door opened inwards behind them, butting against Devlin. He moved out of the way to let Amber in. "You're back. Looks like we're all here."

"About time." Haruki scooted her chair back and stood up. She turned to Chie. "Let's get this done."

Chie nodded, standing herself. She opened her menu and distributed the collective funds from their quest to all the members. Unable to use her menu with Taiki, she handed him a sack of coins.

Haruki frowned, rereading her menu. "This is it?"

Chie gave a disappointed sigh. "Crystal weapons don't sell for all that much. They have great damage, but they're heavy and brittle and cost too much to upgrade. It was hard finding a good buyer."

"It's not too bad." Mamoru commented. "Worth our time."

Taiki had spent as much money replenishing the health potions he'd used, but couldn't complain.

"Well, it's been fun." Devlin said.

"Wait." Chie started, before he could go anywhere. "This leads me to our next order of business."

She turned to Taiki. "Have you had any luck with your search?"

"No." he answered. "I'm not as clueless on SAO, but I haven't gotten anywhere with learning about myself yet."

"We don't have any plans for the immediate future." She said, drawing a cocked eyebrow from Mamoru and a frown from Haruki. "If you don't mind, I'd like to help you find what you're looking for."

She held out a hand. "You're welcome to join our guild."

"You can't be serious." Haruki said, a little louder than intended.

"You have anything else lined up?" Chie countered. "Something else we should be doing?"

Chie turned to Devlin. "Far as I see you've proven yourself; I'd like to have you along, too."

Haruki might as well have exploded. "What!"

Devlin cleared his throat. "Much as I'd love to disagree with the woman, I should be going."

"You have another party waiting for you?" Chie asked like someone who already knew the answer.

"Nope, just me." He replied. "That's enough."

Haruki was about to say something when Chie held her hand up. "Why not stick with us?"

"Listen, you guys are really nice." He glanced at Haruki. "Most of you, but it's better this way."

Devlin turned to Taiki. "We're even."

"You going to be okay on your own?" He asked.

"I'll be fine, probably." Devlin slapped the larger man's shoulder. "Honestly, it's _you_ I'd be worried about."

"You know going on alone isn't a good idea." Chie pressed. "The only people that choose to go solo are either idiots or corpses, and you don't strike me as a fool. I'm sorry for the loss of your last group, but that's no reason to make a pariah out of yourself."

"I can make it just fine." Devlin said.

Taiki placed a hand on his shoulder. "But we don't have to. C'mon."

Amber held up a plate. "I saved you some cake. You like lemon?"

Devlin stared at the plate for a long thoughtful moment, then looked over the group. He finally gave a sigh and took one of the treats. "Fine."

"I'm glad you're willing to join us." Chie said. "However, due to your circumstances and the objections of some of those present, I do feel the need to take a vote."

"All in favour?" Chie asked, raising a hand.

Cedric raised a hand in support, followed by Amber. Taiki wasn't sure he had a vote yet, but raised his hand anyways.

"All opposed?" Cedric asked as they all lowered their arms.

Haruki raised a lone hand. Mamoru did a moment later, prompted by a harsh look. Knowing they'd lost, they lowered their arms without further argument.

"Then by majority vote, I welcome you to the Wayward Pact." Chie declared.

"Glad you're sticking around." Taiki said.

"For now. I'll play it by ear." Devlin pulled down his mask and took a bite out of the lemon cake. "This is God damn delicious."

Mamoru made his way over. "I can't promise anything from my other half, but I won't make any trouble for you. Welcome aboard."

Cedric kept his place on the other side of the room, keeping any opinions to himself, but staying near Chie and making his support known. Haruki gave a huff and passed into the next room.

"She going to be okay with this?" Taiki asked. "I don't want to trouble you."

"She will be." Chie replied. "She just needs to get used to you two. Frankly, it'll be nice to take things easy for a bit. She might get antsy, but it'll be a welcome break."

"I'll have a word with her." Mamoru said and excused himself, following after his wife.

"Thanks again." Taiki said. "I wasn't sure where to look next on my own."

Out of all of them, Amber was the most visibly excited. "This'll be like a mystery quest. I love mysteries. This could be so much fun."

A warm smile formed on Taiki's face; even though the acceptance wasn't exactly unanimous, he was happy to have a group to travel with. With how much Devlin had helped him since they'd found each other, he was glad he wasn't being left on his own. While he wasn't sure how to solve his problems, he had a clear objective ahead of him, and a party to keep each other safe. Taiki still felt lost in this world, but at least he wasn't lost alone.

* * *

Author's Notes: For reference, this is currently somewhere between episodes 4 and 5 of the anime, so Kirito's cameo is based on what he was wearing then. Kind of strange when you think that a show that starts with the premise of clearing 100 floors gets more than halfway there in time skips within five episodes, but like the anime, the focus is less on clearing the floors than it is on a particular set of characters' stories.

For the Chronicler and the Inquisitor, I admit I have a fondness for the idea of a person's title becoming their name; for whatever reason it becomes so central to how their known and who they are that it becomes their identity and displaces their name.

It is my hope that from here I can tell a decently enjoyable story with consistently satisfying fights. I think I've got some good ones lined up.

As always, reviews are appreciated, since they're pretty much the only way I can tell if this is going well or not.


	10. Chapter 8: Looking Back to Move Forward

The ringing sound of steel on steel filled the training arena, punctuating every second with an offbeat rhythm. Taiki failed to block a strike in time, feeling the tip of Amber's sword punch into his right pectoral. She waved her sword with a flourish and stepped back to a starting position to get ready for their next bout. With no functioning duel option in his menu, they were sparring until first strike while inside the safe zone. Within the walls of the Starting City, neither was in any danger, and their weapons would only rebound off any successful strike. The only things getting hurt were their weapons' durability and a bit a Taiki's pride.

He'd felt like he'd made real progress practicing against the NPCs, but Devlin had insisted he spend time fighting real people, reasoning that otherwise he'd only get used to the trainers' attack patterns. It was the same reason he was sparring with Amber and not Devlin; sharpen yourself against one opponent too long and you only get used to each other. They'd been at it for almost an hour and a half, with Taiki scoring one point to every four of Amber's. Still, he was noticing a steady improvement.

She gave a short bow, signaling her readiness for the next bout. Taiki returned the bow and took a defensive stance. He glanced to the side at Devlin, sitting on the wooden fence that encircled the ten meter diameter training area. The red cloaked figure studiously watched the two, serving as referee when needed.

It had been three days since the two of them had joined the Wayward Pact. Chie had told them their group had just gotten done with a string of quests, and wanted to give them some time to relax before launching the investigation into Taiki's past. He didn't mind; it gave him time to acclimate to the group, and time to sharpen his skills. It also let them try and think of how they would even approach his unique issue; lacking a name, health bar and icon, as well as having a menu with several greyed out or missing options.

Amber held her sword high and made her approach, launching her attack once she was in range with a downwards strike at his head. Taiki raised his shield to catch the blow. With his shield fixed to his forearm, it was held closer to his body; he realized almost too late that blocking the strike obscured enough of his vision to not see Amber punching her more standard design heater shield at his gut. He swept his shield arm down, intercepting the attack. Taiki tried to follow with a strike with his sword at her neck, but was parried by her bastard sword. While he was still open, she playfully tapped the flat of the end of her blade on his cheek. The two moved back to their starting positions when Devlin spoke up.

"First hit is good and all, but it's not everything." He spoke up. "New rule: round ends when one of you lands three consecutive hits."

The two of them nodded and held their weapons at the ready; Taiki with his falcata, and Amber with her bastard sword. Deciding to go on the offensive, Taiki advanced first, swing his sword in a wide upwards arc. Amber leaned back just out of reach and stabbed her sword out, glancing off Taiki's shield. Hiss counterattack met nothing but air as Amber ducked under a slash and prodded his gut with a quick stab. A second strike landed on his right thigh before he could break the chain with a horizontal strike to her shoulder. Not wanting to lose her momentum, she made another stab at his chest. Taiki swept his shield to the left, knocking her arm aside and stepping forward. With his shield arm wound up for a punch, he made a fist and starting swinging forward in a haymaker. She blinked, flinching, seeing it coming and unable to block it. Taiki hesitated, faltering. His softened blow was slow enough that she was able to duck under it. She made no attack to take advantage of the opening, stepping back and giving them both some distance.

"You're going easy one me?" Amber asked like she might have been offended.

"No, I," Taiki lowered his sword, "I just thought I might hurt you."

"Well, you can't, even if did manage to hit her." Devlin chided. "If you're going to hold back and take it easy, it defeats the purpose of sparring. She's been kicking your ass the last hour; now show me what you can do."

"Gimme your best shot." Amber nodded with a smile. "I can take anything you can throw at me."

Taiki nodded back and took a deep breath before signaling his readiness with a short bow. She returned the bow, and Taiki prepared his weapons. He stepped to the left, and Amber followed suit in the opposite direction. The two circled each other for several seconds before Taiki charged forward. There was a rapid series of exchanged blows both blocked and evaded as the two fought it out. Amber would land one or two strikes before Taiki could break the combo with one of his own. Knowing he couldn't match her speed, Taiki let a stab catch him in the thigh, following with his own stab into her throat. While the blade couldn't damage her health, the force of the hit could still compress her windpipe. Coughing, she took a step back, covering her retreat with a slash at Taiki's left ribs.

Getting into the moment and letting loose, he swung his shield down and to the left heavily, batting the weapon aside. Telegraphing his attack, he slashed his sword at her head. She ducked down under the swing at the same time Taiki brought his shield arm up in a vicious uppercut, snapping her head back up. Something plinked off of Taiki's armour as she staggered and fell onto her back. Taiki stepped forward to complete the combo, raising his right foot to deliver a stomp to her gut. She raised her shield and winced, anticipating the coup de grace and holding her breath. Taiki paused; she was missing one of her front teeth. He stood there a moment, foot raised over her. She stared back at him, trying to read his expression.

"What're you waiting for?!" Devlin shouted from the sidelines.

Amber curled both of her knees to her chest and kicked her feet at his left shin. It scooted out from under him and dropped him forward onto her. He could hear the breath _whoompf_ out of her as he landed on her. It might have been a charmingly clichéd scene, if it weren't for his chin glancing off the top of her head, and if he weren't large enough to smother her completely. Amber's legs pattered against the ground while she tried push him off of her. Taiki's right arm was pinned between them; he made to lift himself with his left to untangle himself. His palm pressed unknowingly into the side of her breastplate. Thankfully, Amber's armour made no effort to accentuate her less than bountiful proportions, and his hand slid off the edge of the plate to find better purchase on the ground. Once free, he rolled off her and onto his back, unaware of the embarrassing scene he'd narrowly avoided. He scrunched up and stood to his feet, brushing himself off. He held a hand down to help Amber up, who accepted to offer.

"That's enough for now." Devlin hopped down from the fence, walking over to them. He stooped down to pick something off the ground and tossed it to Amber. "Think you dropped something."

She caught it on reflex. It was her tooth. "Oh, wow."

"Sorry, you okay?" Taiki asked.

She poked her tongue in the gap. "Mmfine. Nothing permanent. Good combo; why didn't you follow through? You looked more scared than I was."

"I don't know." Taiki sheathed his sword. "I thought I hurt you."

"Well, as Amber was good enough to show." Devlin gestured to her. "You hold back from the killing blow and they'll just strike back."

"'Killing blow.'" Taiki parroted. "I don't want to _kill_ anyone."

"Doesn't hurt to sharpen that skillset." Devlin replied. "Time might come where it's either you or whoever you're fighting. Better to be good at it for when that happens."

"It's not just people, but monsters." Amber offered. "If it makes you feel bad, think of it as practice for killing mobs. They're bound to happen, and they're guilt free."

"You're right." Taiki said to both of them. He glanced at his clock; it was nearly three in the afternoon. "So, what now?"

"Now we head back to your little base." Devlin answered.

"Little?" Amber gave a light huff as the trio started on their way. "Housing's expensive for six people."

"Yeah, and apartments are a perpetual bill." Devlin countered.

Taiki let the two talk, walking between them, slightly behind, looking skyward. It was a pleasant enough day on the first floor, with a light smattering of clouds and a beautiful blue sky. He cocked his eyebrow as he studied what he was looking at. Past the clouds and beyond the sky he could make out the ceiling to this floor. Above them was also the sun. The glare around it kept him from seeing the ceiling behind it, but it was clearly the same sun he'd seen back on the fifty first floor, despite being below the ceiling. His brow furrowed as he tried to solve this conundrum.

_How does _that _make any sense?_ He thought.

It wasn't like there were a hundred suns, one rising on each floor, and he couldn't see through the ceiling. He puzzled over this for a few minutes before he recalled Amber's comments on tugging at the loose threads, and tried to put it out of his mind. The world worked however it needed, whether it was possible or not. He was still trying not to think about when they'd made it back to the Wanderer's Den. Taiki and Devlin entered the apartment while Amber went next door to retrieve Brenda and rejoined them a moment later.

Inside was Chie and Cedric; Mamoru and Haruki were somewhere else around town. The surly woman had made a point of steering clear of the new additions to their guild, often bringing her husband with her, though he had been friendly enough. Cedric had regarded Devlin with caution, and Taiki with curiosity. Chie, for her part, had gone out of her way to make it clear they were a part of the team. The guild leader was seated next to the window, reading a book. She looked up to them and smiled as they entered, shelving the book and standing. Taiki could hear Cedric pacing slowly in the next room.

"Welcome back." Chie said. "How's the training coming?"

"Getting better." Taiki replied.

"Relatively." Devlin quipped. "He thinks too much and acts too little."

"Better than too much of the other way around." Chie countered with a smile. She turned to the bedroom door. "Cedric, we're all here. You coming?"

"Just a moment." Her second replied from the other room.

"Shall we start?" Chie gestured to the table, where a steaming pot of the tea she seemed to like so much sat with five cups waiting. She took a seat. "First, thanks for being patient."

"No, thank you for even offering in the first place." Taiki took a seat across from her. Devlin took the spot to his left while Amber took the one to his left. "I needed the time, too. Now I feel a little less easy to kill."

"Let's try and avoid testing that." Chie doled out the tea to the lot of them, filling the hagi ware cups with the herbal blend. It had a deep, faintly floral aroma. She glanced back at the bedroom door. "Let's just give him a moment."

On the other side of the door, Cedric paced slowly back and forth between the two beds, staring at his inbox impatiently. His right hand was cupped to his chine, with his left hand under his left elbow. He gave an agitated huff, but despite his best efforts to call forth a message, nothing appeared. He poked his finger into the compose button in his mailbox and typed out one of his own.

[Are you awake? It's been three days. Has something happened or can you not analyze that poison?]

Cedric was about to send it when a quiet chime that only he could hear announced incoming mail. Cedric waved away his draft and opened the PM from Otto.

[Sorry I couldn't reply sooner. Busy day here today. Just had a group of five that wasted fifteen minutes trying to haggle. Idiots thought I would price match someone else's less potent stock.

Anyways, I still need more time, but when I'm done I'll be sure to let you know.]

Chie called to him from the main room. He replied with an "I'll just be a second."

He poked his finger into the reply button and updated his previous draft.

[It's been three days. Can you analyze that stuff or not?]

He sent the message, and a minute later its response arrived.

[Look, not gonna lie, but I couldn't. I took a crack at it but it was too high level for me to get everything out of it. All I could get was half the ingredient list. I got another guy I know to do the rest in exchange for one of the knives, and I already sold the other one for a pretty nice sum, so I can't really give you a refund. He's good, though, just busy. Once he tells me, I promise I'll let you know. Not my place to ask, but why do you want to know? You're not in any kind of trouble are you? You cross the wrong people, or something?]

Cedric gave another disappointed huff and typed out another message. [No, we're fine, it's just important. When you can, I want to know everything about that poison. The ingredients and price, as well as the manufacturer.]

[Ok, buddy. Will do.] Otto answered. [I get the feeling that this is a 'just between the two of us' sort of thing. This better not cause any problems for me, but I'll keep this quiet.]

[Thanks.] Cedric typed.

[Np.] Otto answered simply.

Cedric waved his menu closed and returned his right hand to his chin. Though he didn't know the specifics, Zahnri had clearly placed a large investment into that poison coating. For someone that relied on robbing others for most of their income, it wasn't normal to spend so much on a collection of one-shot weapons. He'd asked the Chronicler about Zahnri, but she couldn't recall ever meeting him. The girl's memory was impressively impeccable, so if she couldn't remember meeting him, he trusted her answer. Not that bandits were the type to visit her, but it didn't hurt to ask.

Otto had a point asking why he'd even requested this information, but when you run into a group that tries to kill you, it makes sense to him to try and find out who they were. Best case scenario, he can get the identities of the bandits and add them to the watch list or circulate a warning for others. PK hunters would probably like the addition to their hit list, too, though he'd rather not dwell on that too much. Still, something told him this was not a normal group of roaming bandits; he just needed more information to be sure before he did anything. He put it out of his mind and returned his attention to the people waiting for him in the next room. He opened the door as Chie was about to call him again and walked over to the table. With all four seats claimed, he opened his menu and summoned his own wooden chair he always kept within his inventory.

Cedric placed it to Amber's left, across from Devlin and sat down, accepting the cup of tea when his commander offered it to him. He inhaled the aroma deeply and took a sip.

_Flavour of the day…_He pondered a moment. _Black tea with raspberry leaf. Jasmine for aroma. Bistol leaf…no, root. Honey added. Odd combination, but not bad._

"Okay, let's get started." Chie said. "Let's cover what we know and work from there. Tell me again, what's the first thing you remember."

"Falling. Off of some plateau." Taiki placed his elbows on the table, leaning forward.

"The boss arena for the fifty first floor." Cedric clarified. "Do you remember what knocked you off, or anything you saw while you were up there?"

"No, I woke up already in the air." Taiki answered. "Then I blacked out and woke up again on the beach."

"Okay, let's think this over." Chie leaned back in her seat. "What could've caused you to black out? From the sound of it, twice."

Taiki shrugged. "I hit my head on something? Isn't that how knockouts and amnesia usually work?"

"Remember, game world." Devlin chimed in. "Head trauma won't do it. Same with strangulation or drowning. Only way to end up unconscious in SAO is going to sleep. That, and bashing your head here won't scramble your brains in real life, so memory loss due to blunt force trauma isn't really a thing here."

"Okay, first mystery;" Chie said. "What else might affect your memory in SAO?"

Cedric cupped his chin. "Maybe not head trauma, but trauma of another kind. Maybe repression? You mentioned seeing a few other people falling that died. Survivor's guilt when your friends died?"

"You think he's repressing his entire life?" Devlin asked incredulously.

"Just throwing out whatever I can think of." He countered. "Any other possibilities?"

"Dementia?" Amber offered. She looked Taiki over. "But you're, what, mid-twenties?"

Taiki didn't like the idea of it, but gave voice to it anyways. "What about some kind of brain damage?"

"I don't think so." Devlin fidgeted a bit before continuing. "Any knock to your noggin hard enough to harm your brains would've damaged or removed the nervegear, which would then kill you. If that were the case, you'd either be dead, or logged out, though I suppose they're the same thing, really. You wouldn't be here for us to have this conversation."

"Safe to say we can shelve that idea. Best not to focus on the real world; it's out of our reach." Chie said. For a long moment nobody else spoke. "Okay, what can you tell us about the people that you saw die?"

Taiki thought hard. "There were four. One woman and three men. I can't remember their faces, or anything. Some huge creature killed them."

"Tracking down someone while they're alive is tough enough." Devlin downed the remainder of his tea and poured himself another cup. "Finding four dead people with just that to go on is impossible. What were you guys even doing in the boss arena?"

"Presumably fighting the floor boss." Cedric pondered a moment. "The boss was cleared about a week before you were there, but floor bosses have a respawn time of two days. Another guild killed it two days after the clearing group; it would've been back by the time you're talking about. Maybe you and the others were part of a larger party."

"Still nothing to search for them on." Devlin drummed a couple fingers on the table a moment.

Cedric pulled a piece of paper from his breast pocket. "I checked with the Chronicler. Nine people died the day you blacked out. Pretty uncommon that happens. Got a list of names."

He passed the note over the table. "Any of these look familiar?"

Taiki read the names a few times and tried to remember. He shook his head, passing the note back "No. None of them."

Cedric pocketed the note. "They might have all been there with you, or some of them could have died in completely unrelated events on the other side of the world. No way to really know for certain."

Taiki pointed over his shoulder at where his health bar should have been. "Since we've got nothing there, any ideas why _this_ is missing?"

An even longer silence answered him as everyone present tried to think of something. Amber cleared her throat, and everyone looked her way expectantly. She sheepishly coughed and refilled her tea.

"Not a clue. Same with your missing menu options." Chie said. "Glitches are rare in SAO, and even then the system usually corrects them in a short amount of time. Going to have to chock that up to mystery two."

"What clues _do_ we have about you?" Cedric asked.

Devlin leaned over in his chair, looking across Taiki. "That's the sword you woke up with, right?"

"No," He answered. "I woke up with an empty sheath."

"But you didn't buy that after." Devlin clarified. "You pulled that your initial inventory. Lemme see it."

Taiki unsheathed his falcata and handed it over. It was the sword he'd first pulled from his inventory. Ornate red filigree like vines snaked its way down the silver blade.

Devlin studied it with his eyes a moment. "As someone with an uncommon sword, I can sympathize with how hard it can be to find less than popular weapon types. I can't say I've seen many people with recurve swords."

Devlin attempted to appraise the falcata. "Bone Cleaver…this is a fine sword. Considering this wasn't even your primary weapon, I think we just figured out where you spent all your money. Anyways, this is custom; player made. Can't say who, though. Anyone got any smithing skills?"

Chie reached out a hand, and Devlin passed it to her. "None of us have any real crafting skills."

She tried to appraise it, then passed it to Cedric.

"Sorry, no." Cedric shook his head. "But we can certainly rule out any lower level vendors; this is pretty high grade. If we're lucky, it might be someone that specializes in uncommon weapon types or high level gear. The average vendor has no reason to keep records of their customers, but someone with a higher clientele or a niche consumer base might keep better tabs."

"Great." Taiki smiled, feeling hopeful. "How do we find that out?"

Chie took the sword back and returned it to its owner. "We bring it to someone that _can _tell us."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The entire collected party made their way down the stone paved road. They'd come to a town on the forty eighth floor called Lindarth. It was built like a medieval styled village, with a large collection of single and two storey houses spread out over a wide area. The largest structure was a church bell tower in the town center. Unlike the packed in storefronts of the Starting City, everything here was spaced out and had plenty of room to breathe, with large trees planted frequently along the stone roads and walkways. The smell of herbs and fruit wafted on the gentle breeze from a collection of farms to the east of town, irrigated by a nearby river.

The river had also been directed and split into a spider webbing network of canals that wound their way all throughout the town. Most of the buildings situated next to a canal had a water wheel, some more than one, powering whatever machinery was contained in the workshops they were connected to. Due to the picturesque landscape and abundance of water driven machinery, the town had become a popular place for players with a focus on crafting. Lindarth had one of the highest concentrations of player run manufacturing shops, rivaled only by the Town of Beginnings and a few other, more industrialized cities. Lindarth was larger than average, covering an area over a kilometer wide, but was spacious enough in its construction that there was more open air and ground than buildings.

Due to the scarcity of buildings per area, and the demand for a spot here, the price of land was quite above average. Any crafter that could afford to live here had proven their skill, further bolstering the reputation of the town as a whole. Living and working in Lindarth was an achievement; a mark of status, and a gateway to a higher clientele than the average vendor. Anything made and sold in Lindarth was likely costly, but worth every Col.

Taiki enjoyed the open air and pleasant breeze on their walk to the store they were here for. It was a two story rectangular house perpendicular to the road made from bleached stone and wood beams. It had a thatched roof, with the end closer to the walkway sporting a peaked tip and chimney, from which a thin trail of smoke wafted. Under the windows were baskets full of flowers and along the walkways around it were knee high shrubs.

Between the building and the road was a smaller, cylindrical structure with a red shingled roof and a pair of iron smokestacks. A water wheel connected to the side beside the street, dipping into the canal that ran along it, contributing to the town's perpetual ambient soft splashing and creaking wood as the wheel turned. It was connected to the back of the shop via a short wooden walkway. The canal made a sharp turn after the building that was likely the workshop, running along one side of the estate and continuing onto the neighbor's shop; a bakery, by the look and smell of it.

The party crossed a short wooden bridge over the canal and stood in front of their destination. At the top of the stairs leading to the entrance and under the front door hung a thick bronze disc bearing the store's name and an armoured knight's bust in profile. To the right of the entrance was a pair of large trees full of plump apples, covering the area in shade.

Haruki crossed her arms and looked the place over. "Doesn't' look like much. There a reason we had to come all the way here to do this?"

"It's a blacksmith; they don't need a castle." Devlin replied. He was standing on his toes, using the hook of his khopesh to snag a few of the fruits from the tree that were otherwise out of reach. "It needs to be functional. This actually looks like a prime spot."

"Stop that." Chie chided. Devlin hooked one more apple and sheathed his sword. "Higher level gear takes higher level craftsmen to appraise it. Besides, this is where I buy most of my weapons. She knows me. There's a good chance the guy we're looking for is probably somewhere around here, anyways."

Once Chie looked back towards the shop, Taiki nudged Devlin with his elbow and crouched down, springing upwards and snatching a pair of impressively large apples from its branches. He landed with a resounding thud, drawing Chie's attention and Haruki's ire back their way. He tossed one of the fruits to the party leader. She caught it, looked it over, and added it to her inventory without comment.

"A favour from a friend is cheaper than what someone else might charge, right?" Taiki asked.

"Not…really how I'd want to put it, but yeah." Chie conceded.

"You probably don't need us all crowding up the place." Mamoru said, noticing his wife's apathy. "Mind if we take a walk? Do some shopping?"

Chie gave the go ahead, asking that they not wander too far out of town, and the two made their exit. Haruki did nothing to hide her appreciation for the escape. Not wanting to make a conversation of it, Chie led the way to the entrance and entered the building. Amber instructed Brenda to wait outside, leaving the NPC standing at the end of the stairs, looking up at the apple trees. The ground floor was mostly one large room with wooden tables topped with glass display cases running around the perimeter. In the center of the room was another large glass covered waist high table. Filling all the cases was a wide assortment of weapons; mostly one handed swords of hand axes. On racks along the walls above the tables were larger armaments ranging from spear to halberds to some impressive great swords. At the far end of the room was the counter, a deep stained oak desk with a yellow clothe with a pale orange border draped over the side, almost reaching the floor. On the wall above and behind it was a disc identical to the one handing over the door outside, albeit made of iron.

To the left of the counter was a door, leading to the walkway to the workshop and presumable a set of stairs to the second storey, where the living quarters were likely situated. Behind the counter stood a female NPC dressed in a red blouse and skirt. She gave a canned greeting as Chie approached the counter. Taiki's eyes wandered over the selection of weapons as she asked to speak to the owner of the shop. The NPC, Hanna, he thought, bowed and exited the back door to fetch her handler. He was just about to reach for a great sword when the door opened again and the proprietor entered.

He cocked an eyebrow as he turned towards her. The smaller girl was dressed in a dark red knee length skirt dress with long sleeves, and was about five feet tall. She wore a white apron tied in a large bow on her back and a white top, by the looks of it to accentuate and draw attention to her bust. It was working. On the top button of her blouse was a red and yellow ribbon tied in a bow. Her footwear was a pair of tan boots with laces than ran all the way up to her knees. The girl appeared to be in her mid to late teens, with pink hair held in check with a white pin and a soft, pretty face. She looked less of what he'd expected of a blacksmith and more like a waitress.

Her face lit up and she broke into a smile as she walked up to their guild leader. "Chie, how are you? It's been a while."

"And you brought company." She looked over the group, taking a moment to peer up at Taiki. "Thought you didn't care much for drones. Where'd you _find_ this one? You shave a bear? He's like, two of me, and a half."

"I'm human." Taiki spoke up as Devlin snickered. "But…thanks?"

The blacksmith blanched and gave an embossed bow. "Sorry, I didn't notice."

She looked him over again. "Wait, but where's your…um…"

Taiki raised a hand to address the query. "It's no problem, I get this a lot."

"It's why we're here. We're hoping you can help us with something." Chie said. She gestured between the two of them. "Taiki, this is Lisbeth. Lisbeth, meet Taiki."

Chie gave a slimmed down explanation of Taiki's situation to an increasingly intrigued Lisbeth. She left out anything she didn't need to know and focused on his memory loss. She didn't introduce Devlin, partly due to keeping the lecture short, and partly due to him leaning one elbow on the counter and giving the girl a lopsided smarmy smile that could be seen through his mask. When Chie's speech concluded at the present, she nodded to Taiki.

He drew his falcata and placed it on the counter. "I was hoping you could tell me who I got this from; who made it."

"Not a very common blade type, but this shouldn't take long." Lisbeth didn't pick it up, appraising it where it lay. Half a minute later she had her answer. "Looks like this is one of Geordi's."

"That was fast." Cedric commented.

Lisbeth cocked her head and grinned. "I'm good at what I do."

"You know him?" Chie asked.

"Never met him, but his customers swear by him. I don't think he gets out much; keeps himself cooped up in his workshop. Hardly a social guy." Lisbeth pushed the sword back across the counter to Taiki. "Deals mostly with over engineered, overpriced items and custom builds to order. Specializes in some of the less popular weapon types; niche stuff."

"You know where we can find him?" Taiki sheathed his sword. This had been easier than he'd expected.

"Sure." She pointed to her right. "His shop's on the edge of town that way. On Dwemer street, maybe. South of the town gate."

"Thank you." Taiki was trying not to get too hopeful too quickly. "Thank you so much."

"Don't mention it." Lisbeth said. "Just remember me if you ever want some new gear."

The party was almost to the exit when she spoke up again. "Oh! I almost forgot. Everyone says not to stare at his leg. He gets a little sour on that, I guess."

They thanked her for the warning and set off to their next destination, pausing to let Amber fetch Brenda, who had wandered under the apple trees and was sitting in the shade. A trip to the edge of town and they found what they were searching for. It was certainly hard to miss, having a completely different design than any of the nearby buildings. The estate sat at a crossroads, and was comprised of three joined single storey structures. Up front, nearest the walkway was a building the same size as Lisbeth's store, but made of deep red bricks with a dark grey tiled roof. Sunken windows made of stained glass with inlaid shapes of weapons and armour ran around the outer perimeter.

Behind it to the right was a house made from stained red cedar with small round windows like portholes of modest size with a roof made of curved clay shingles. It had a side door with a ramp instead of steps leading to its porch. To the left was the workshop; a building made from iron and steel that looked like a fat, squat silo. It was twice the diameter of any in the surrounding area, and boasted a pair of water wheels. Each structure was only a single storey, and was connected to the other two via enclosed iron walkways. The collection formed a walled in triangle around a peach tree standing in the very center of what might have been a personal garden.

"Forget what I said." Devlin commented. "I guess some of them _do _want castles."

Taiki looked to the sign near the entrance; a massive heater shield that came up to his shoulders was embedded lopsided in the ground at the start of the sidewalk to the shop's door. The shop's name was painted across its face, with the words written under it '_To whom that can afford, nothing is impossible.'_ Taiki read the name out loud.

"Geordi's LaForge?" He looked to Devlin. "What's a LaForge?"

Devlin shrugged. "Maybe it's French. Le Forge?"

Absolutely nobody got the reference. Taiki stepped up to the front door to the shop. He noticed that, instead of stairs, there was a softly inclined ramp leading up to the entrance. He pulled the door open and passed through the threshold.

Like Lisbeth's store, glass topped display cases ran around the perimeter of the room. The gold gilded cases here were smaller, each only holding one weapon. The items contained inside sat nestled in rich red satin cloth. There were no weapons racks on the walls. Instead, there were hanging tapestries with detailed depictions of armaments, advertising their price and expected stats if ordered. Free standing racks holding singular items stood in font of every window, as if they were basking in the light filtered through the stained glass.

The hardwood floor was covered in thick red rugs with gold trim. The counter in the far end of the shop was made from cherry wood, with a five centimeter thick steel slab forming the counter top. Beside it, on a small table sat a gramophone, softly spinning its record and filling the room with a quiet symphony. Behind the counter was the NPC shopkeeper; a dead faced man with short cut black hair that was dressed like a butler. The atmosphere was almost abrasively posh.

"Welcome to the forge." He said, deadpan. "How may I help you?"

Taiki crossed the room over to him. He spotted a falcata identical to his own resting in one of the displays.

"Hello," He leaned forward over the counter to read the name tag affixed to the NPC's chest, "Brent. I'm looking for Geordi."

"I am sorry, he is busy at the moment." Brent replied flatly. "Do you have an appointment?"

"No." Taiki glanced at Chie, who shrugged back at him. "We just need to talk to him."

"I am sorry, he is busy at the moment." The steward opened a book on the counter top and grabbed a quill from an inkpot. "Would you like to leave a note?"

"Is he here?" Cedric asked.

Brent mechanically turned his head towards the boy. "Yes. He is working on an order, and dislikes being bothered while working. He will likely be occupied for some time. Would you like to leave a note?"

"Tell him I'm a returning customer." Taiki said.

"I am sorry, but that does not change that he is busy at the moment." Brent said, as if that was the obvious end of the discussion.

"This one's not too bright." Amber said, looking the steward over. "For such a ritzy store, kinda weird to cheap out on the assistant."

"I am more than capable of what is required. I am 'bright'." Brent said, addressing her. He held the quill out to her. "Would _you_ like to leave a note?"

Taiki wiped a hand over his face in frustration. "Tell him…tell him I want to make a complaint on his shoddy workmanship."

Brent stared back at him for several seconds. He noticed the NPC hadn't blinked since the conversation had started. "Please wait here."

The steward excused himself and exited through the back door. A moment later they could hear the door to the workshop roughly close and the NPC returning with his master. Taiki's ear perked, listening to the odd sound and cadence of the approaching footfalls. There was a heavy step, followed shortly after by a pair of metal clinks closer together. Step, _clink-clink_. Step, _clink-clink_. Step, _clink-clink_.

The reason for the curious sound became apparent when Brent reentered, holding the door open for his master. Geordi was revealed to be solidly built black man just shy of six feet tall, still wearing his leather smith's apron over his work clothes. At the moment, he was also wearing a decidedly irritated expression. He had short shorn hair and a set square jaw.

A long straight scar ran from the left side of his upper lip to just under his eye. Another, more ragged scar started above the eye and made its way over his temple, etching its way through his hair. He walked, or rather, hobbled over to the counter. His right leg ended well above the knee, and the pant leg was folded up and clipped in place. Whatever the cause of his injuries, they predated Aincrad. He leaned heavily on a pair of thick iron catchpoles he was using as a set of crutches.

"Which one of you called my work '_shoddy'_?" He demanded. His voice was deep, with a drawling accent that suggested that Japanese was not his first language.

Taiki slowly raised a hand.

"You're either lying or wrong." Geordi stated. "One way or the other you're full of shit."

"You had it the first time." He replied, trying to form a decent apology. "I'm very sorry, but it's important I speak with you. I didn't mean to insult your products or question your fine craftsmanship, but it was the only way I could think to grab your attention."

"If you're gonna kiss my ass, you can do a better job of puckering up." Geordi gave a sigh and sat down on a stool behind the counter, leaning his catchpoles against the wall. "Lucky for you I'd just started my work, so I've yet to lose anything but my good mood. Now, what kind of weapon are you looking for and what's your price range? Custom order, or has something caught your eye?"

"I'm not actually here to shop." Taiki admitted. "I was hoping you could answer a few questions."

Geordi's frown deepened. He turned to his assistant. "Brent, go and keep the furnace fed, this shouldn't be long."

The NPC took a step back, gave a slight bow, and exited the building to follow his orders. Geordi leaned forward in his stool, resting his elbows on the counter top. He did not look happy. The gramophone reached the end of its record, drawing the ambient music to a close.

"Well, now that we've determined the only thing being spent is my time, kindly try not to waste it." He snapped his fingers at Cedric, who was standing closest to the music player. "You there, miss, can you reset the record?"

"I'm a guy." The pony-tailed bishounen replied.

Geordi gave him a once over. "Call yourself whatever you want, but will you restart the music?"

Cedric gave a deep, agitated frown, but placed the needle back on the record. The soft sound of violins filled the shop.

"Can we get this started?" Devlin asked.

Geordi turned his attention his way. "No masks in here."

"'Cept for mine." Devlin quipped.

"I'm not joking." He insisted. "Either take it off or get out."

Devlin met the blacksmith's stare with his own defiant gaze.

Taiki elbowed his friend. "Please just take your mask off."

After a couple seconds, Devlin blinked and looked up at Taiki. He held his hands up in mock surrender and started towards the door. "I'll see myself out. Good luck with this guy."

Once he was gone, Geordi looked over the group again. "Now, what do you want?"

"Ooh!" Amber suddenly said. "I get the store name. It's-um-like that show. That old TV show. With the space ships."

Geordi swiveled in his seat towards her, and his expression softened slightly.

"Y'know." She tapped her right hand under her left collar. "Beam me up O'Brian."

Geordi took a deep breath followed by a long huff, leaning back on his stool. He gave a slim smile. "Well, you're the first. I'm more impressed you somehow got the quote wrong, but in a way that applies to the correct series. Didn't think anyone here in Japan watched that show."

"You're not from Japan?" Taiki thought out loud.

Geordi gave a sharp, bark of a laugh. He gestured to his darker complexion. "What tipped you off?"

_I guess I said something dumb? _He thought innocently. "You said, 'here in Japan', so I...guessed you weren't from Japan."

Geordi stared at him quizzically a long moment; his reference to his colouration apparently going over the head of the taller man. "Uh, yeah...I moved here from the States. What did you want again?"

Taiki placed his sword on the counter, eager to get back on topic while the blacksmith was still is his somewhat better mood. "You made this, right? Can you tell me the name of who you sold it to?"

Geordi picked the weapon up and looked it over. "My Bone Cleaver series. Not my best work, but I've sold a few."

He gave Taiki a suspicious look, noting his lack of health bar. "Before I answer that question, you can tell me how you got it. You obviously didn't buy it."

"I…" Taiki tried to think of a decent answer, "don't know."

The next several minutes were much a repeat of the story given to Lisbeth, but with the added details of why he was searching for its owner's name. The owner was quite likely Taiki's real name. Within ten minutes explanation, Geordi had slowly switched from impatience to something approaching vaguely interested. By the end, Brent had returned from the workshop and took a spot to the left of his master, standing, standing stock still and awaiting further instructions.

"Well, I've made eight of these. This is the…" Geordi held the falcata up, closing an eye and peering at some detail on the bottom of the hilt Taiki had never noticed, "fifth one. Forged this a while ago; I'm pleased to see you've liked it enough to keep it upgraded and maintained."

He glanced over his shoulder at his assistant. "Brent, run and fetch me my log book; the one on recurves. Be quick about it."

Brent bowed and excused himself again, fast walking from the room. While they were waiting, Geordi sat silently, drumming his fingers to the beat of his music. He made no effort to converse or asked any questions on their story. Not wanting to awkwardly stare back at him, Taiki let his eyes wander around some of items on display. Apart from the duplicate Bone Cleaver, there was an ebony shotel, a silver falchion with a jewel encrusted handle, as well as a heavy pair of gauntlets with small thin blades protruding from every knuckle. On one of the standing weapon racks was a full length war hammer with a spike on one side, and a cleated head on the other like a meat tenderizer. He was inspecting a blue steel curved great sword when Brent finally returned with a book clasped in his hands.

The NPC handed it over to Geordi, who placed it on the counter and flipped it open. He browsed through a few pages until he found what he was looking for. He poked a finger into the page.

"Ah, here we are. Person that bought this was under a guild account." Geordi said. "Group by the name 'The Bloodhounds'; PK hunters. Bitch bought it."

"Excuse me?" Taiki asked, sure he heard the name wrong.

Geordi closed the book. "The person that bought this; lady went by 'The Bitch'."

"Do you know what her name was?" Taiki asked.

"'Was?'" Geordi noted.

"She's dead, I believe." He explained. "I think my whole guild is."

For the first time Geordi's expression started to truly soften. "I'm sorry to hear that."

"Do you know her name?" Taiki repeated.

"No, she kept that to herself. I think their entire group ran with nicknames. Plenty of folks try to force some stupid title for whatever reason." Geordi answered. "Guy that opened the account was the guild leader, went by 'The Beater.' I think they might have had some theme going. They were PK hunters, so I guess they at least had a decent reason to use nicknames. Anyways, I didn't get his either, but they paid good and upfront."

Taiki looked over his sword again, muttering to himself. "So, now I need to figure out how I got her sword. Great, another mystery."

"As I recall, she said she was buying it as a gift." Geordi said. "Didn't I say that?"

"No." Cedric replied.

"Well, she did." The blacksmith looked over Taiki. "Not sure she chose well, to be honest. Standard length one handed sword might be a bit small for you."

"Is there anything else you can tell me about her or this 'Beater'?" Taiki was running out of questions.

"I think she might have been a bottle blonde. Yeah, she had this bleached blonde hair," Geordi placed a hand on his sternum, "about yay long. Beater is or was a really skinny guy."

Taiki gave a dejected sigh. "That's _something_ to go on, I guess."

Geordi glanced at a clock sitting on the corner of the countertop. "Any more questions?"

"Just one." Cedric raised a hand. "You sold items to a guild based on their aliases, but insisted our...friend remove his mask. I'm curious as to why."

"Way I see it, red hunters have enough of a reason to justify hiding their names; anything to make it harder for the bad guys to get at 'em. We're all already using screen names and usernames anyways, but when they're done hunting, they're still one of us." Geordi explained. "But, anyone who feels the need to hide their face inside a safe zone has something to hide, and doesn't belong."

Cedric took on a thoughtful expression, as though Geordi's words confirmed something he'd suspected himself.

The smithy started to get anxious to leave them. "Now, anything else?"

"No, thank you for your time." Taiki backed away from the counter, drawing the interview to a close.

The blacksmith scooted off his stool and grabbed his catchpole crutches. "Then if you'll excuse me, I've got shit to do and orders to fill. If you need anything else, just ask Brent."

The NPC, for his part, still hadn't blinked.

He was almost to the door when he looked back over his shoulder. "If you ever want a top notch sword a little more your size, you know where to find me."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Devlin hadn't wandered far; they'd caught him helping himself to the cherry tree in one of Geordi's neighbor's yards. After a brief lecture from Chie, the party was on their way to the town's teleporters to meet a waiting Haruki and Mamoru. Taiki updated him on what they'd found out; it was incredibly disappointing. He'd entered the store hoping to find his name, but all he left with was nicknames for other people.

Amber patted him on the shoulder. "Don't let it get you down. We didn't leave with nothing."

"If you were in a player killer hunting party, I'm curious how you all ended up in the boss room of the latest floor." Cedric mused, scratching at his chin. "Way too soon for people to be farming it, but PK hunting and floor boss killing is a pretty big jump in career paths."

"Explains your sharp senses." Devlin commented. "When you spotted that kid that was tailing us in the woods. Maybe something you've done before, but the other way around."

Taiki found the thought of that discomforting.

Chie pointed at the falcata handing on his hip. "That's a pretty fancy gift. Maybe this girl was someone special to you."

_That's a depressing thought. _Taiki frowned, placing his hand on the pommel. _All I have left to remember her by is a sword and I have no idea who she was._

Cedric pulled the scrap of paper with the list of deceased. "Of the nine people listed, three had overtly feminine names, but that doesn't really mean anything. Some of these might have been men that started with female avatars, or she might have had a male avatar, herself. We'd need to consider all the names as equally viable.

"So," Devlin started, "out of nine people, we need to find out who this 'Bitch' and 'Beater' were, based on two nicknames and the guild name 'The Bloodhounds'."

"Unless they had some notoriety, I'm not sure how much that's going to help us." Chie commented. "Nicknames only mean anything to the people that are familiar with the person using it, and there are no system records that players can access for guilds."

Devlin nudged Taiki with an elbow. "Buck up, big guy. It's not much, but any step in the right direction is progress. So long as you keep moving forward, it's just a matter of time 'til you get where you're going."

He nudged his friend back. "Thanks."

The rounded a corner, spotting the teleporters and their remaining team mates. Chie waved, grabbing their attention. Mamoru waved back. The network of gateways could take anywhere in the world they'd already been, all you had to do was know where to go.

"So," Taiki started, addressing the entire group with him, "any ideas where we go from here?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Yarl stood in front of the door to his commander's chambers. It was situated in the very back of their base, with a large walnut door. He was not looking forward to entering. Yarl didn't see the home base very often, instead usually finding himself hunting alone with his pet, Sasha. The party's home was located on the twenty third floor; near the edge of the south east quadrant sat a small cavern. Its mouth was just large enough for two people to pass at once, but inside it expanded into a pleasant grotto. The majority of the space inside was water, but there was a path that lead to an island situated in the very center. Rays of light shone down from a large hole in the ceiling, illuminating the place enough that torches were not needed during the day, though it had long since turned to night. On the island sat the home base of Yarl's guild, tucked away where few ever searched.

By his side was his pet panther, tall enough for her head to reach his biceps. Sasha was large enough that he could probably ride her, if she wasn't programmed to buck anyone off of her. A mount in Aincrad would have been incredibly useful to a red player. Most people in his guild tended to look down on his for relying on Sasha during hunts, but not many would do it to her face. Yarl thought back to the message that had called him here.

If you haven't found them by now, there's no point in having you waste any more time out there. Return immediately. Shinjin wants a word with you.

If he'd been recalled from a failed hunt, he doubted it was for anything good. Still, he'd been summoned, and he was here. He hesitantly raised a hand to knock on the door when a voice shouted at him from the other side.

"Stop standing out there like a jackass and come in, already." His leader called. "And leave the cat outside."

Yarl did as commanded and entered the chambers. The living room was generously proportioned with a wide stone fireplace on the far wall. To his left was a cabinet topped with a few decanters of rich looking liquor, situated between a pair of bookshelves filled to capacity. A table set for two was beside that, with a game of shoji sitting in its box. In the far left corner was the open door to the bedroom, and to the right was the path to the kitchen and a hallway to whatever other rooms Yarl couldn't see.

In front of the fire place were two cushy chairs facing towards it. A soothing fire burned inside it. Above the mantle hung a crimson spear; Shinjin never used the weapon, but the person that tried to wield it against him had certainly tried. The floor had neither rug nor carpet, instead consisting of bare hardwood. In between the two chairs, farther from the fireplace and closer to the entrance was a desk facing his way. Behind it sat Shinjin, typing in his menu. He waved his menu away and looked up, smiling warmly.

"Welcome, welcome. Do come in." He said, bidding him forward.

"You wanted to see me, sir?" Yarl asked.

"Please, call me Butch." Shinjin had been trying to get that nickname to stick for a while now, to little success. Hard to propagate a title when you kill most of the people you tell it to, especially when it was just an abbreviation of a previous, more fitting title. "Do you know why you're here?"

Shinjin's smile was warm and friendly, but Yarl was familiar with how quickly that could turn. "I'm sorry I couldn't locate them…Butch. They're out of Sasha's range, probably on a different floor."

"Relax, you're not in any trouble." Shinjin walked over to his liquor cabinet and poured himself a glass of something amber. "Quite the opposite, really."

Yarl was puzzled. "Really?"

"Yes, really." Shinjin leaned against his desk and crossed one leg over the other, taking a sip of his drink. "You see, Zahnri went and got himself killed. Correction; blew a shit ton of our money and got himself killed. _Then_ a couple _more_ of my trackers chased after our quarry into a town like a pack of morons and got dead, too."

"Zahnri, coward that he was, was my top tracker." Shinjin held his glass up, pointing a finger at Yarl. "Now _you_ are."

He hadn't been expected this kind of news.

"Think of it as a promotion." Shinjin turned his head to the side and shouted. "Keiko, are you ready yet? Seriously, woman, don't keep the boy waiting."

A moment later Keiko entered from the bedroom, still fixing her hair. She crossed the room to stand at Shinjin's side. He downed the last of his drink and stood back up, walking up to Yarl.

"You and Keiko will take a group of four and track them down. I don't care how you do it, but you'll have any of our resources at your disposal. She'll be in command; follow her orders as if they were my own." Shinjin placed hand on Yarl's shoulder. "I have high hopes for you. Get it done."

Yarl was just starting to return the smile when the grip on his shoulder tightened. Shinjin's expression turned stoney and cold.

"Keep in mind our time is limited." Shinjin's grip tightened further, his thumb pressing into the joint of Yarl's collarbone. "Do _not_ fail."

As if to punctuate the order, Shinjin's thumb popped his collarbone out of its socket.

"I won't." Yarl hurredly said.

Shinjin's faced flashed back into his warm smile. "Good. Now, away with you."

Keiko and Yarl left the room after the former exchanged a quick kiss with their commander. He pressed his clavicle back into place and rotated his shoulder. That had not gone as expected. He rubbed at his collar; failing was something he was hoping to avoid. Instead, he tried to look on the bright side. Despite ending in complete failure, the hunt through the forest was the best time he'd had in a while. He was looking forward to hunting with more than just himself and Sasha. Traveling with a pack was much more fun. He whistled to Sasha, and she took her spot beside him as he and Keiko made their way to select their pack members. Today had been a good day.

* * *

Author's Notes: Hopefully I can show and progress through the mystery of Taiki's past and loss with an acceptable amount of competence. From here, I guess things really start. I've got what I like to think are some nice turns coming up, though more so I hope they don't give too much away too quickly. Thought we might check in with our pursuers for an update, as well.

I like to think that SAO, being such a massive world, would probably borrow from various other fantasy works. Add to that all the teen and twenty somethings playing it, and you'd probably end up with a world full of references and in jokes. Geordi's LaForge is probably the most ham fisted one I intend to make.

I guess I should explain a little about how I've been using the injury system. I've been running with the idea of blunt force attacks having their own effects. While a sword might sever a limb, a hammer might break or dislodge the bone inside. The overall result is the same (can't use a broken or missing arm), but with dislocated stuff being easier to pop back into place.

As always, thanks for reading this far. Reviews are always welcome and appreciated, since they let me know if I've screwed up anything royally.


	11. Chapter 9: Makes the World go 'Round

A swirling mass of blue voxels poured from the depthless vortex. Once free of the miasma that was the portal, they melded together, taking the shape of a larger than average man dressed in a pair of slacks and a blue short sleeve shirt. Taking his first step away from the teleporter, Taiki's first observation was the change in weather. It was an unexpected shift, stepping from the sunny day in Lindarth to the pattering rain of Quintuss.

He heard Amber mutter a complaint as she exited the portal behind him. In front of him was the rest of his party, already seeking shelter under the awnings of shops around the town centre. Devlin had simply pulled the hood of his cloak over his head. Brenda was the last to take shape, quickly and dutifully summoning an umbrella to hold over her and her master.

The rain was light, barely more than a drizzle. Taiki turned his head upwards, enjoying it a moment. He found it more comforting to see nothing but clouds above him than an endless ceiling. Despite the clouds being lower, they felt less constricting.

Quintuss was the first and largest city of the fifteenth floor. Its heyday had long since passed, having little about it to draw in permanent residents. Most players had no reason to come to this floor, let alone this town. There was little immediately special about the place, with identical architecture to the starting city, albeit less impressive.

Looking down one of the roads leading out from the hub of the town centre, he spotted their reason for being here. The north-east road split into a fork at the front of a large four story structure a few streets away. It was built from bright ivory coloured bricks, gilded with steel framed windows and support beams. It looked like a cross between a castle and a palace. Above the main entrance, attached to the face of the building was the emblem of the establishment and the guild within. It was a stylized sun, painted bright yellow, with orange radiating rays all around it. Inside it, as if trying to eclipse it, was a slightly off center, smaller sun, painted red. The building was the only location of real note in Quintuss, and it contained most all the players that called this town home.

"If anyone has any better ideas, we can still leave." Mamoru suggested. He hadn't like the idea of coming here since it was brought up in Lindarth.

"I don't, and we're already here." Cedric replied. "Better to get it done with."

"The Second Suns are the largest red hunting guild in Aincrad." Chie repeated, leading the way to their door. "If we want to ask someone about a PK hunter, better to ask another hunter."

"I'd much rather just put this place behind us." Mamoru insisted.

Taiki hesitantly followed after. "These guys really that bad? PK hunters, I mean."

"It depends." Cedric answered. "Some of them like to hunt based on a sense of justice. Others, like the Second Suns, work on commission."

"They're nothing but bounty hunters," Mamoru interjected, "glorifying their killing as just."

"Some of them are proactive; they seek out dangerous red players to make the world safer. Not many of those." Devlin explained. "The Second Suns, and most other hunting guilds, wait until someone pays them to seek someone out; turns out that's the much more profitable way to go about it."

_I wonder which one I was._ Taiki pondered. He hoped it was the former.

The party opened the main doors, entering into the headquarters of the Second Suns. Taiki blinked against the unexpected brightness of the interior lighting as they walked from the dim overcast outside to the almost oppressively over illuminated foyer. The floors and walls were made from the same ivory coloured stone as the outer walls, with everything polished to an almost mirror sheen. In between the tiles of the floor was a grid work of gleaming bronze, and running along the trim of the walls was shining brass. In addition to the natural light filtering in through the windows, in place of torches, there were fist sized amber glowstones embedded along the walls. In the center of the room's vaulted ceiling was a larger, meter wide glowstone cut into the shape of a two dimensional sun that was bright enough to be uncomfortable to look directly at.

A pair of generic male NPC attendants approached them, dressed in rich looking white suits, with the same emblem they'd seen over the door pinned over their right breast. A bronze chain like a collar was around their necks.

"Welcome to Castle Solus." One said as they bowed. "How might we help you?"

After requesting an audience with someone they could ask a few questions, one of the attendants bowed again and made his exit to fulfill their request, while the other directed them to a waiting area and took a spot where he could view them and the entrance, going back on standby. The party took their seats on a pair of opposing cream coloured couches that were far too soft. They'd been waiting for almost ten minutes before anyone complained.

"Let's just go." Mamoru suggested again. "Who knows how long they'll keep us sitting here."

"They're probably keeping us waiting as a procedure." Haruki commented. "Clichéd as it is."

"As far as PvP guilds go, the Second Suns are some of the cleanest." Chie leaned her elbows into her knees. "They have the best reputation for due diligence when on the hunt."

"They're also the most open to collaborating with other hunters when it's profitable." Cedric added. "That makes them the most likely to be knowledgeable about what we want to know."

"Still, I think it's important we keep in mind that we're dealing with people that capture and kill for money." Devlin said in a low tone, glancing at the NPC attendant near the entrance. "Just because they go after the bad guys doesn't make them righteous. It's best we play this close to the vest."

"He's right." Chie agreed, leaning towards him and Taiki. "I don't think we should tell them who you are, just who we're looking for."

"I understand." Taiki nodded. "Ask our questions; try not to say anything we don't need to."

Taiki was already looking forward to leaving this place. It was far too clean, and far too bright. Everything about the polished stone and gleaming bronze seemed to put forward the picture of wealth and order. It felt entirely at odds with the fact that their function was to hunt people down. It was another fifteen minutes until the second NPC returned. He bid them to follow them, and after a short walk through bright lit hallways, directed them into an office on the second floor.

"Welcome, welcome. Do come in." He said, in a voice that was too smooth and friendly. "My name is Nikko."

Nikko was a man that looked to be in his early thirties, with an average build and a height of about five foot eight. He was dressed in a suit much like the one worn by the NPCs, though finer, with a richer appearance, and sans the collar. A pair of gold chains hung off his left shoulder in epaulettes. On his hands was a pair of white silk gloves. His left hand bore a ring with a yellow sapphire, and on his right was a gold ring with what looked like a seal. Once everyone was in his generously sized office, he took a seat behind his desk.

Chie and Taiki took the two chairs in front of the desk, Devlin took a third next to a liquor cabinet, and the rest sat on a long sofa. Mamoru opted to impatiently stand near the door.

"I'm told you're not here for a contract, but for questions." Nikko said, shuffling a few of the papers on his desktop into a stack next to a glass of brandy. "Please understand my time is valuable; forgive me, but I'd like to keep this short."

After making them wait nearly half an hour, such a statement almost made Taiki bristle. "I was hoping to ask you about another PK hunting guild."

"Ask away." Nikko took a sip from his brandy, pausing as if he'd just noticed Taiki for the first time. "Thought you were a drone for a moment; where's your health bar?"

"It's glitched." Taiki answered simply.

"Really?" Nikko eyebrow raised. "How so and how long?"

"About a week." He replied. "Just sort of happened."

"We expect it'll come back sooner or later." Chie added. "System always takes care of this kind of stuff."

Nikko uttered a simple, "hmmm", and took another sip of his drink. The matter apparently held no more interest for him.

"So, who'd you want to ask about, and why would I tell you?" Nikko emptied his glass. The ice rattled as he placed it down against the desktop. "We hold the personal data of anyone we work with as confidential and private, for obvious reasons."

"We're just trying to find out some information on a group called the Bloodhounds." Taiki explained.

"Oh." Nikko leaned back in his seat. "Well, that simplifies matters."

Their host got up from behind his desk and crossed over to his liquor cabinet, picking up a decanter to refill his glass. "We don't work with them. They were blacklisted months ago."

Taiki turned in his chair to follow their host. "Why?"

"We try to avoid working with the pro bono hunters." The decanter of brandy was empty before the glass was filled. Opening the front of the cabinet to pull out another bottle and refilled both the glass and decanter. Taiki could make out a few already empty bottles before the cabinet was shut. "Hard to make a profit when some idiot's willing to do it for free."

_That's good to hear. _Taiki thought, pleased to have his hopes confirmed.

"You blacklist people just for that?" Cedric asked.

"Can't have anyone biting into the bottom line of their bloody business." Mamoru said in disgust. "I think I'll wait outside."

Without waiting for any reply, Mamoru excused himself. Haruki stayed put. There was an awkward moment of silence broken by the ice in Nikko's brandy clattering as he took an apathetic drink.

Their host gave a tired sigh, as if this was a topic he was long tired of. "If someone wants to pursue their own idea of frontier justice, that's perfectly fine, but yes, there is an issue is when it cuts into our contracts. It's important to remember, there is no _law_ in Aincrad, only loose _rules_. It comes to people like us to bring about any consequences for any heinous crimes, and this isn't free or easy."

Nikko emptied his glass, eyed his cabinet, looked to briefly consider getting back up again, and settled on staying where he was. "The Second Suns are the largest red hunting guild there is. We have more captures and kills than any two competing guilds combined. We have a staff of more than forty trackers and huntsman in the field, as well as a dedicated squad of investigators to insure that those we hunt deserve it. A couple of them are actually police in the real world, if they're to be believed."

Nikko plucked one of the ice cubes from his empty glass, crunching it loudly. "None of this would be possible without money. People that wish to work for free are free to do so, but they won't be doing it with _our_ resources."

"We're sorry for any offense." Chie said, slightly bowing in her seat.

"None taken." Nikko replied. "His sentiment is hardly rare. Now, ask your questions. Just know that I may not be able to answer them."

"What can you tell us about the Bloodhounds?" Taiki asked, wanting to get things back on track.

"Like I said, they work proactively, selecting their own targets and operating independently." Nikko crunched on another ice cube. "I also know that nobody else works with them either, not even the other free hunters."

Taiki's interest perked, sensing they might still yet get some real information from this meeting. "Why's that?"

Nikko smirked. "I believe the description I heard was that they're, quote, 'violent, raging assholes'."

Taiki's expression dropped. This was not something he wanted to hear.

"I guess they got into a couple altercations with another independent tracker." If Nikko noticed the change in mood at this revelation, he made no effort to acknowledge it. He eyed the party with a mix of curiosity and suspicion. "You guys hunting them down?"

"No, nothing like that." Taiki quickly said. "We just need to find them."

_He's speaking as if they're all still alive. _Taiki thought. _They weren't familiar enough for him to know what's happened and they weren't well known enough for word to reach him by now. _

Nikko eyed the cabinet again, clearly wanting another refill, but not wanting to do so with company present. "Well, other than that, I don't have much else I can tell you. Assholes or not, unless they're found guilty of something, I cannot disclose any personal data we may or may not have on them. Bad for business."

"We'll be happy with anything you can tell us." Taiki searched for any question he could ask. "How many are there?"

Nikko tapped his finger on the side of his glass a few times, then gave a slight, one shoulder shrug. "As I recall, there are six of them. All have nicknames starting with the letter 'B'. Leader runs by the alias 'The Beater'. You know a guy's a prick when he brags about his status as a beta tester enough to make it his moniker."

_That's something. _Taiki thought_. At least now we know how many there were. _

"Now, I've said about as much as I know or am able to say, and we are out of time." Nikko gestured towards the door. "Good day, good luck, and happy hunting."

"Thank you for your time." Taiki said as he and the others stood.

The Wayward Pact made their way out of the office, with Haruki lingering behind a moment. Once she was the only person in the office with Nikko, she took a step towards his desk. "Do you know anything about the Inquisitor?"

Nikko gave a mix between an agitated laugh and a 'harrumph'. "He's another pro boner; the insufferably self-righteous type. Been going around stealing a bunch of our kills."

Haruki took another interested step forward. She was about to put forth another question when Nikko cut her off. "Our interview has concluded. Your friends are no doubt waiting for you as my work waits for me."

He pointed to the door, then returned his attention to the papers on his desk. Haruki frowned, but didn't push the issue, turning and leaving the man's office. Once she was out, she could hear him get up from behind his desk, followed by the sound of pouring brandy. She stepped lively, catching up with her party in the foyer to find that Mamoru had opted to literally wait outside. The headquarters' of the Seconds Suns being both too repugnant and grossly incandescent to tolerate for him. They started towards the teleporter gateways while Taiki was still processing everything they'd heard.

"Any ideas where we go with this info?" Cedric asked.

"You can count me out if you're going to another PvP guild." Mamoru stated.

"They'd probably have a similar if not identical non-disclosure policy as the Second Suns." Devlin commented. "Unless we get lucky, I don't think we'll get anything further from these guys."

None of the Wayward Pact knew any independent hunters to interview. Taiki was left with only a few clues to a puzzle that was becoming more complicated than he'd hoped it would be.

"We head home." Chie replied. "See what we can dredge up with what we have."

As the evening began, the party keyed in their destination into the gateway, and one by one vanished into the ether. Taiki was still mulling over Nikko's unfavourable words as he stepped in after them.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Taiki leaned back on one of the posts of the split rail fence, watching the spectacle unfold before him. In the training ring, Amber was sparring with Chie. They'd returned from their interview with the Second Suns two days ago, most of them spending the time since sending messages to any friends or contacts to ask if they had any information about or any familiarity with the Bloodhounds or the nicknames they had for two of its members. So far, there had been no positive replies.

In the meantime, Devlin had continued to assist Taiki with his daily training. The larger man was appreciative for the help, but had started to wonder what Devlin got out of it. The first time they'd met, he held a sword to his throat, and for the better half of the past week he'd gone out of his way to make sure he was capable of defending himself. If he had to guess, Taiki got the impression his red cloaked mentor had been on his own too long. After being alone and stranded outside of any town, Taiki supposed having a friend would be a welcome change. His ever present mask was a curious issue of its own, but he'd decided not to breach that topic.

Chie had joined them for the first time today, dueling with Amber. The younger girl was faster, but Chie had a solid defense. The older woman's broadsword was almost large enough to require two hands, but she was able to wield it well enough with one, albeit more slowly than Amber's bastard sword. Taiki thought back again to his and Devlin's first encounter, glancing over at him.

Devlin was sitting on the top rung of the fence, with his feet resting on the middle rung. He immediately noticed Taiki's attention and turned his way.

"What's up?" He asked. "You've been looking at me weird since yesterday. Am I that handsome?"

"Just thinking about something." Taiki replied.

"You do a lot of that." Devlin commented. "Anything specific?"

"About when we first met." Taiki turned towards his friend, reading his expression. "When we ran into each other, you were a red player. If I was a hunter, you think maybe I was after you?"

Devlin mulled over this a moment. "I doubt it. You're not stupid; I don't think any group you were in would be bad enough at tracking to end up in a boss room, on a plateau in the middle of a lake, fighting a dragon by accident. No, I think our meeting was just lucky happenstance."

Devlin turned his attention back to the two women in the training ring. It was a few seconds before he spoke again. "Thanks for trusting me enough to ask that."

With a swipe of her broadsword, Chie deflected a strike from Amber, following with a thrust that plunged her weapon through her opponent. Amber's health dropped into the yellow, and the duel ended. It had been clear that Chie had been holding back, but she'd consistently won most of her matches. She'd gone easy enough on Taiki earlier, instructing more than dueling, but had gone all out with Devlin, welcoming the friendly challenge. The two had almost been evenly matched. Almost; Chie was a steadfast bastion when she wanted to be, and none of Devlin's grapples had proven capable of toppling her. Taiki was getting better each day, but hoped that he wouldn't have to fight anyone on their level anytime soon.

Chie and Amber bowed to each other, concluding their sparring. The older woman summoned a canteen of water and took a drink. "Good match."

"You, too." Amber said between breaths. She wiped the sweat from her brow. "Thought I had you that time."

"So did I." Chie tilted her head towards their guild mates on the fence. "How's Taiki coming along?"

"He's getting there, but he's always holding back." Amber replied. "It's like he's always trying not to hurt anyone. He never commits enough to his strikes. Weird, if he was into PvP."

"Yeah, that's the impression I'm getting." Chie confirmed, starting towards them. "He's better than he thinks he is; he just needs to stop pulling his punches. Hopefully he can cut loose when it counts."

Once they were near the fence, Brenda hopped down from her perch unbidden and withdrew a refreshment from her inventory to deliver to Amber. Taiki watched the two a moment, already in their own conversation. He was still having a hard time figuring out how to regard Brenda. Everyone treated it like a non-person, while Amber treated her like some mix between a pet and a best friend. He put the matter out of his mind and focused on Chie as the NPC said something mentioning vengeance and her family.

"Any of your friends get back to us yet?" He asked.

Chie opened her menu and scrolled through her inbox again. "Sorry, no. Same with Cedric and the others. None of us has had any dealings with PvP players, so we haven't gotten any leads, and we've already asked all our friends and acquaintances."

A thought occurred to him. "How about someone a bit more professional?"

"How do you mean?" Chie asked.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Sveltheim was still a fairly busy city, even more so than before. The frontline groups were only one floor above, so it was about as far as anyone could go without going farther up. It was the final city of the fifty first floor, and its proximity to the boss labyrinth guaranteed its continued relevance for some time to come as players stopped by before taking a shot at the xp and money to be gained from the area.

The place had originally looked larger to Taiki, but returning after having spent time in the Starting City made it feel much smaller in comparison. There were plenty of players all around, but not enough to feel as crowded as the Starting City. Unlike the last time he was here, he already knew where he was going, passing by the same flower selling vendor he'd tried to talk to before. This time, he also already had a party, a quest of sorts, and Devlin wasn't left to hide outside. Curious how much could change in about a week.

He retraced his steps, finding his way back to a tavern. The place he'd met his party, who now followed him back here. Pulling the door open, Taiki stepped into MakiMori's. It looked much the same as last time, though a fair bit busier. There were easily fifty players and NPCs spread amongst the tables and bar. NPC waiters and waitresses moved between the tables, managed by a player at the till. Standing near the bar was Maki. She spotted the party and quickly moved to meet them, cutting off one of her drones, who stopped rigidly before turning to other duties.

"Hello, and welcome back." Maki said with a grin. "Table for seven plus one? Follow me."

The energetic girl twirled around and led them to a larger table. "Would you like a moment, or do you know what you'd like?"

"Actually, I was looking for your sister." Taiki said.

"Speak for yourself." Devlin said, pulling out a chair. "While we're here, I could eat."

"Food and info, it is." Maki grinned again. "I'll go check with her; be right back."

Maki disappeared into the back offices. While they were waiting, the party placed their orders with a waiter drone they'd flagged down. Devlin was placing an order large enough for two people when the bubbly proprietor returned.

"Mori doesn't much like the noise and hustle n' bustle." Maki said in her staccato tone. "Come with me."

Taiki and Chie stood, following after her. The rest of the party remained at the table. No sense in forcing all of them into every meeting. Maki led them into the hall, giving the directions to her sister's office and heading back to the restaurant, apparently trusting them enough to find their way from there. At the end of the hall, at the back left corner of the building was Maki's twin's office. It was small, almost cramped. In the back left corner was a desk facing left. The far wall consisted mostly of bookshelves. The right wall had the room's sole window.

Inside was Mori and one other person; a smaller girl with auburn hair, wearing a dull tan cloak. Maki handed the girl a fist sized coin purse. This appeared to conclude their business, and the girl pulled the hood of her cloak up, turning to leave. Taiki thought he saw whiskers painted on her face before she exited gracefully through the window, closing it from the outside.

"A business associate of mine." Mori explained. Her departure through the window was apparently nothing special to her. "Take a seat."

Mori twisted her desk chair their way, sitting down. There was only one other chair in the room. Taiki and Chie both looked at it a moment. Mori watched impassively as the two waited for the other to sit, resulting in both remaining standing.

When it was apparent that neither would take it, Mori crossed her legs and steepled her fingers together on her lap. "Been a while, Chie. Noob, right?"

"Actually, it's Taiki, now." He replied.

"Noted." She said. "What brings you to my humble abode?"

"Do you know anything about a guild called the Bloodhounds?" He asked.

"I could be motivated to check." Mori answered.

Getting the hint, Taiki summoned a stack of coins and handed them over. The girl placed them on her desk. He looked it over; it was mostly covered in papers and folders, with a picture of her twin wrapping her in a tight hug placed in a small pink frame. It was the most colourful thing in the room.

"Can't say I've heard much about them." Mori answered, placing the picture into a desk drawer. "Nothing positive, anyways. PK hunting group that tended to be a little too liberal in how they chose their targets. Nobody worked with them, so they stuck to themselves. That's all I know."

Taiki was disappointed, both in the lack of information, and the confirmation of what they'd heard before. "Would you have ways to find out anything further?"

Mori broke into a slim, faint smirk. "Of course I do. Wouldn't be a good info broker if I couldn't find info to sell."

"Alright." Taiki started. "I'd like any information you can find on them; aliases, usernames, anything. If there's any remaining members, I'd like their location if possible."

If there were six people in the Bloodhounds, and he saw four die, there was a slight chance that one more besides himself might still be alive out there, somewhere. It was a long shot, but worth shooting for. They'd already narrowed down the four or five members of his old guild to the nine names on Cedric's list, but even though Taiki's nickname amongst the Bloodhounds was one out of six, his real name, or at least his player name, was still one out of over seven and a half thousand. If anyone could confirm without a doubt who he was, it would be a former guild mate.

"So, you'd like to employ my more investigative skills?" Mori leaned forward, her interest in the prospective transaction apparent.

"I would." He confirmed.

"I'll see what I can dredge up," she looked to make some mental calculations, "but first, tell me what you know. It makes things easier on my end."

The two of them summarized all of the information they'd found so far, handing over the list of names for her to copy.

"They were last in the boss room of this floor, but we don't know if they were the only ones there." Chie added.

"So, I'm supposed to investigate a defunct guild based on the potential names of their dead members. This sounds…difficult, but doable." Mori stated dryly. She named an unexpectedly large sum. Chie balked at the price. It sounded expensive to Taiki, and he was still figuring out the value of their currency. Either way, two hundred fifty thousand Col far exceeded what he was carrying. "I may also require additional funds, depending on how long this takes."

"That's ridiculous." Chie said.

"You've never employed an info broker, I'm guessing." Mori replied. "I'm assuming you've already tried your hand at finding this info yourselves before coming here. Now that we both know how time consuming this can be, I can assure you my price is fair. I'm the one with the network, and I know how much it's worth. This isn't just you buying a tidbit of data; I'm going to have to go out there and spend who knows how low digging this stuff up."

"We can't afford that." Chie explained.

"Then you can't afford me, and I'm one of the cheaper brokers." Mori said, not budging. "If you'd like, you can come back later, but that's my price."

Taiki had no expectations of being able to haggle the price down. He turned towards the door. "I'll be back with your money."

Chie followed after him, out of the information broker's office. "You have a plan?"

"I get the money, I guess." He replied. "You know a good way to get that much?"

"I may." Chie thought a moment. "We need to check with the others first."

The pair returned to the restaurant. At their table, Devlin and Amber were playing a game of five-finger fillet, each holding a palm against the table, fingers spread, stabbing one of their knives between their fingers with increasing speed. The two had their eyes locked, waiting for the other to slip up. Cedric watched with little interest, while Brenda's eyes jerked back and forth following Amber's knife.

"Where's Haruki and Mamoru?" Chie asked, stepping up to the table, peering around.

Amber glanced up, drawing attention away from their game long enough for her knife to strike her ring finger.

Devlin jabbed his knife into the table and raised his arms in victory. "_Yes!"_

"No fair." Amber protested. "Outside interference."

"Bet's a bet; you lost." Devlin said with a grin. "C'mon, pay up."

Amber gave a huff and flicked a coin at him. He caught it and turned to Cedric with an expectant look. The boy placed a coin against the table and slid it over.

"They headed out; said they weren't hungry." Cedric gestured to a box on the table next to him. "Figured you might want something take-out. How'd things go with Mori?"

"Thanks." Chie said appreciatively. "Not well. We need a quarter of a million Col, maybe more later. Don't suppose we have that if we pool our resources?"

"No, not even close." Cedric didn't even have to think about it.

"So, how can we get that?" Taiki asked.

"Simple; we go on a quest." Devlin commented. "Although it'll need to be a good one. We might have a hard time finding something that pays near that much. With all the second wave folks tagging behind the front lines, I don't expect there to be any quests around here unspoken for."

"You guys need a good quest?" Maki asked, passing by. She was carrying a tray laden with food and drinks to another table. "Didn't mean to butt in, but there's a quest broker down the road at Copperhead's bar."

"I thought they got chased out of here?" Taiki asked.

"Yeah, but they didn't stay gone." Maki adjusted the tray to prevent a plate from sliding off. "One came back a couple days after the Inquisitor left. Just look for a guy named Midas; you can't miss him."

"Thanks." Taiki turned back to Chie. "I don't want to impose…"

"Don't worry about it." She tapped the side of his shoulder. "We've stuck with it this long; it'd be a waste of our time if we quit now. Besides, I'm getting tired of waiting around and jumping from town to town and we're running a bit low on cash. A quest sounds pretty welcome right about now."

She turned to Cedric. "Send a message to Mamoru. Tell him we're getting a job, and that we'll meet up after. It's about one o'clock now; hopefully we can get on the road in time to get this done in the same day."

On the walk over to Copperhead's, Devlin and Chie brought Taiki up to speed on the various types of quests. Most quest types had names that were self-explanatory enough. There were escort quests, like the one he interrupted when he met Devlin; they wanted to avoid any of those. Then there were fetch or gather quests, which were generally mundane busy work, often simple enough to be worked into other jobs to make them feel more complex. The opposite was the delivery quest; which was common, buy fairly low in value due to them often being the safest. Middle of the road was seek and destroy, or kill quests, with the subcategory of bounty missions, where only a specific mob needed to be destroyed.

Some missions were more of a mystery, and could take some time-consuming investigation before unlocking further objectives. With the party already having a mystery of their own, this was also a category they had no interest in. Some jobs were simple and straight forward, but most were some combination of two or more types. Some, like Brenda's quest, were more specific and complicated in their own right. The quest he'd helped with before was a combination of killing all the chitahn in the cavern, killing the champion, and fetching and returning the ring it carried.

The payout varied almost as much the quest type. The rewards for a fetch quest might be an item related to the items gathered. Often times the reward might be a weapon or some other item of comparable level to the mission completed, which could then be either used or sold, such as the crystal sword gathered before. In addition to experience or items gained, most quests, excluding their previous mission, rewarded some amount of money as well.

The quest type they were hoping to acquire was known as a raid quest; a fetch quest in which the target area was looted for various items. It differed from other types in that it rewarded no experience, apart from that gained from killing any mobs during its run, but had a payout entirely in money or precious metals. It was a popular quest type for those in need of quick cash, while those more concerned with leveling sought after something with a bit more balance between xp and Col. They also tended to be more difficult, often containing mobs of a significantly higher level than the others in the area. One floor below the frontline, this had the chance to make such a mission a dangerous endeavor. With seven people and one non-person, Chie was confident enough that they could complete one without too much issue.

They arrived at their destination; a bar with a wooden sign hanging over its door bearing a coiling snake matching its namesake clamping its jaws around a copper coin. The door pulled open, and Taiki immediately spotted who he thought must have been Midas. The man was sitting at the center of the far wall, practically glowing with gold. He'd pushed together two tables to form a sort of desks, atop which were a few notebooks and papers. It was like his own little office in the middle of a bar. The group made their way around a billiard table to meet him.

"You Midas?" Taiki asked.

The young man looked to be just shy of eighteen. He was about five foot three, and was fairly scrawny. He was dressed in fine black pants, with a royal purple vest over a black shirt. Over this was a silver longcoat. Its outer layer was coated in overlapping gold like scale mail, and looked heavy enough to be a burden. His chest had enough chains and assorted jewelry adorning it to almost pass for armour, and each finger was covered in rings.

Despite his obvious wealth, his face had a gaunt, bony look to it. His thin fingers likewise had prominent knuckles. He had short brown hair flat against his head. His chin had the beginnings of a goatee, with scraggly little hairs that had the unfortunate look like they'd been borrowed from a region far lower on his body. A small man in a coat of riches reaped from the efforts of others.

"That I am." He spread him arms out, causing his attire to jingle. "Please, make yourselves comfortable and tell me how I can help you today."

"We're looking for a raid quest." Chie said, directly to the point.

"Well, pretty miss, you've come to the right man." Midas said with a wink. "My favourite kind of quest; I wish more people would try them at this level."

He slipped one silver gilded notebook out from beneath another and flipped it open. "So happens I have three open at the moment. There's the 'Palindrome's Bounty', with a reward of one hundred twenty three thousand, three hundred and twenty one Col. Oddly specific number; probably some sort of joke or other."

He peeked up, gauging their interest before continuing. "Another is the 'Warmaster Tsun-Koh's Vault'. Brand new; just picked it up yesterday. Reward is two hundred thousand Col flat. I don't know about you but I love a good vault run. You people always bring such shiny things back from them. The other one's significantly less impressive; about seventy grand."

"We'll take the vault." Chie stated, starting to do a poor job of hiding her disdain for the boy.

"Wonderful!" Midas clapped his hands, but the rings made it sound like more of a metallic clack. "On to the particulars; for this job I'm humbly asking for twenty percent of the reward, I'll also require twenty thousand Col beforehand."

"That's a full sixty out of two hundred." Taiki balked. "Why should we pay you before we even get the job done?"

"Well, that's in case you quit the quest or all die." Midas said as though it were obvious. "Need to make a few coins in the event that happens. Think of it like a purchase; you're buying a job, and we're sharing the rewards."

_I'm starting to see why nobody likes you guys._ Taiki thought with a frown.

"If that's not favourable, you can try your luck elsewhere." Midas took a chocolate covered cherry from a gold dish next to his notebooks. "But you'll not find any quests worth what I have on this floor."

He noted Taiki's disbelief. "I leave the little jobs alone; let's me and mine cover more ground and gather the ones worthwhile. That, and the shit storm the old man threw up made my competitors slink away long enough for me to expand a bit."

"You're not worried he'll make his way back here?" Taiki asked. Last he heard, one of the quest brokers had been killed to frighten away the others.

"Why should I be?" Midas asked. "The only reason the last one died is because he was fool enough to accept a duel request. So long as I don't do anything nearly as stupid, I can't be touched. I never step foot outside of any town's walls; _nobody_ can harm me."

Midas looked to Chie. "Anyways, if you're a bit sore on my price, please remember this is a vault run. There's plenty of things you can loot to more than make this worth your while."

"We'll take the vault." Chie repeated.

"Fantastic." Midas grinned. "Last thing, I know that the chest in the boss room contains a pair of very pretty rings. I want one."

He waggled his right pinkie finger. "I think I can fit one more. For anything else you loot, as I have no way of tracking or counting what might be in there, you are of course free to keep everything you find."

Midas opened his menu. "Do we have a deal?"

Chie opened her menu and partied up with the gold coated man. Midas then shared the specified quest with them while retaining its ownership, and then accepted a trade offer of twenty thousand Col. With their business concluded, she wasted no time in leaving his presence, leading the party back outside. Chie opened her menu again, located the two wayward members of their guild and set a course for them.

They found them back in MakiMori's, apparently having returned looking for them, but neglecting to send them any messages. Mamoru was playing a game of cards with a few other people at a large round table while his wife egged him on. He slapped his cards against the table with a laugh and reached out to reap the pot.

"We've got a job." Chie started. "If we head out soon we can be back by tomorrow morning."

Mamoru excused himself from the game, stepping away from the table. "Sure. Where we headed?"

"A ways south, we've got a raid quest." She answered.

"A raid quest?" Mamoru repeated back. "Isn't that a little risky at this level?"

"There's plenty of us. We play it slow and safe and we'll be fine." She explained. "We're running low on cash and we'll need most of it to pay off Mori."

"Wait, so we're not even getting a full share?" Haruki asked.

"The broker is taking forty thousand. The rest will go towards paying Mori." Chie explained. "Everyone's still getting paid. This is a vault run, so there should be plenty of loot to split."

"Count me out." Haruki said.

"What?" Mamoru asked, surprised.

"Haruki, we need all hands on deck for this one." Chie tried not to sound too forceful. "What's the problem?"

"I've been okay running around looking for clues, but I'm not about to run a mission or give up my share so I can fatten the wallet of some quest broker, then throw the rest at Mori." The older woman fumed, as if she were venting something she'd been thinking on already. "You want to keep playing detective with your investigation, that's fine, but you can count me out of any quests you want to use to fund it."

"Well, I'm still going." Mamoru said.

"What?" His wife hadn't expected that, but didn't let it deter her. "Fine, I'll be waiting here."

Chie disappointment was apparent. "I won't force you into anything, but we're going to have some words when we get back."

Haruki crossed her arms. "I suppose we will."

Chie turned and led her party out of the tavern. It was still before two o'clock. If they moved quickly they could get to their destination by five. The stubborn woman gave Taiki and Devlin a steely glare as they left. Mamoru's disappointment was even more pronounced.

"We'll talk later." He said, and followed after the rest.

The party headed to the southern gate of Sveltheim and started their trek towards their quest. Mamoru was silent, and nobody wanted to breach the topic of how to handle the issue with his wife when they'd returned. They were a few minutes out of town when Chie opened her menu and started reviewing the raid, making a game plan with Cedric. In her haste to remove herself from anywhere near Midas, she'd forgotten to purchase any map data on their destination, but decided not to head back for it, wanting to maintain as much of a profit margin as they could to counter the trip's price. As they marched, everyone switched from their casual clothes to their armour, apart from Devlin, who never seemed to remove his.

"So, we're gathering ten tainted tomes, five bewitched bloodstones, three weeping gemskulls," Chie read as she moved her finger down the quest description in her menu, "I'm sensing a theme here. Twenty moaning glowstones. Lastly, we kill the Hollowed Warmaster Tsun-Koh and take his Cursed Axe. Ah shit, he's got a cursed weapon. Everyone, check your supplies."

The group stopped and reviewed their inventories. Taiki was unsure what he was supposed to be looking for. "What's so special about cursed weapons?"

"They have a chance to inflict curse." Chie answered, scrolling through her belongings. She withdrew a pair of domino sized smooth white stones and slipped them into a pocket. "It's a status effect, like poison or bleeding, but a hell of a lot more annoying."

"Most status ailments cause damage over time or lower one of your stats." Devlin added. He was the only other person to not open his menu. "Curse lowers your maximum life points, maxing out at half. And unlike the other ailments, it doesn't go away on its own. They all wear off after a little bit, but curse can only be removed with items or by a priest NPC in town. It takes either a cleansing crystal or a few sacred stones.

Amber pocketed a crystal much like the teleporter crystals, but pure white, and handed a few stones to Brenda. "If you see a weapon wreathed in black smoke, don't let it touch you. Thankfully they're not too common."

Taiki opened his menu, finding that he didn't own any of the former item, but did have five of the latter. He selected the item and read its description. The stones had a simple little rune etched into them.

[Sacred Stone: Removes curse. Cleanses fifteen to twenty percent of lost max health. Crush to activate blessing.]

Taiki took three out and pocketed them. Devlin opened his menu, scrolled through his belongings, then gave an agitated huff.

"Dammit." He waved his menu away. "I'm all out of stones. Give me a minute, I need to run back and buy a few."

"You can have a couple of mine." Chie offered.

"Bad idea; you'll probably need them yourself." Devlin glanced over his shoulder. "I won't be long. Town's like, ten minutes away."

"Fine." She said. "We'll wait here."

"Tai, you mind coming along?" Devlin asked his larger friend. "Buddy system 'n shit."

Taiki figured he might want to buy a few more himself, and followed after him. At a brisk jog, it didn't take long to get back to Sveltheim. Devlin slowed to a walk as they approached the gate. Taiki started to match his pace, but his friend slowed fast enough to put him slightly behind him.

"Hang on a second." Devlin said.

Taiki started to turn to ask why when he felt Devlin's short sword stab into him from behind, punching through his chest. On reflex, he spun, backhanding his attacker. He took a few quick steps to make some distance and reached behind him to pull the weapon free with his left hand.

"What the hell?!" His right hand was already on his sword, preparing to draw it.

"Whoa, there buddy. Simmer down." Devlin held his hands up. "Just checking something."

"Checking what?" Taiki shouted, trying to calm down after the sudden excitement.

"A theory." Devlin glanced up over himself. "Notice anything different about me, or rather, what's _not_?"

"The hell are you getting at?!" The little short sword felt incredibly small in his hand.

Devlin pointed over his own head. "My icon. It hasn't changed."

Taiki followed his friend's direction. His icon was indeed still green.

"I just attacked you unprovoked and my icon didn't switch to red." Devlin explained. "Can I have my sword back now?"

Taiki handed the weapon back handle first, becoming curious as to what was going on.

"Shake my hand." Devlin held his hand out. "Just do it. A mutual hand shake is a friendly thing. It'll let the system know we're not fighting anymore."

Taiki obliged and shook the offered appendage.

"Now, draw your sword and stab me." Devlin directed. Taiki cocked his eyebrows in confusion. "C'mon. Doesn't need to be the whole thing, you can just give me the tip."

He drew his falcata and poked it at Devlin's chest. It scraped along his armour. When it didn't penetrate he pulled it back and stabbed with a bit more force, lodging a few inches into his friend.

"Ok, you can put that away now." Devlin said, backing off of the weapon. He pointed to the town gates. "Quick run in there and come back."

Taiki was becoming more curious what the point of this was, and did as asked, stepping inside the town and returning. He was obviously becoming impatient, awaiting an explanation.

"You just stabbed me, a green player, and were able to walk right into town no hassle." Devlin started. "Neither of us turned red there."

He stepped forward. "See, I've been wondering about your icon. I thought we just couldn't see it, like it was invisible, or something, but with how messed up your menus are I got to wondering. Some of the stuff on there is greyed out, but your messaging tab's missing altogether. You say your name is blank on your profile, so I got to thinking what else might be missing."

Devlin spoke a bit lower, despite there being nobody nearby. "We've been assuming you're a green player, since you can enter towns n' stuff, but that doesn't look like the case. You're icon isn't invisible, it doesn't _exist._"

Taiki glanced up over himself, processing this new information. "What do you think it means?"

"Big guy, I haven't got a God damned clue." He replied. "But I can tell you what looks like it effects. You can be attacked without consequence. A green player can stab you without fear of going red."

_That sounds…not good._ Taiki thought.

"On the other hand," Devlin weighed his words a moment, "it looks like that cuts both ways; you can't turn red. You can probably do whatever the hell you want and head right back into town no problem."

Taiki was still considering the possibility and meaning of any of this. It raised whole new questions about what was causing all this. "What do we do now?"

"We head back to the others." Devlin answered, heading away from town and back towards their waiting comrades.

"But what about the stones?" Taiki asked.

"I've got plenty." He answered, opening his menu. He withdrew a handful of sacred stones and pocketed them within cloak. "I just wanted a bit of privacy for this experiment. It's probably best we keep this to ourselves."

"Why?" Taiki was beginning to understand the reason when the word was still leaving his mouth.

"I don't want to weird out the others." Devlin passed a few stones to his friend. "And who knows how other players would treat this data."

The walk back to their party was silent as Taiki tried to figure out what any of this meant for him, and why this was happening. Once they'd rejoined everyone else, they resumed their march south. They had a few hours walk ahead of them, and plenty of time to think. Too much, when one had no hope of deciphering this puzzle in the meantime. The more he learned about himself, the more complicated the mystery became. There was his memory loss, his corrupted menus, and now this. Somehow it must all be connected. He stared at his left hand a moment, clenching and unclenching his fist.

* * *

Author's Notes: This chapter brought to you by the theme of shady business. After a year, I figured there would be businesses that formed that catered to things specific in the game world.

I see the quest brokers as being players that exploit the game's quest system to milk as much money out of it as they can. They're assholes, but once they're entrenched the options are either to look for a quest elsewhere or just accept the problem's not going anywhere and deal with them.

The Second Suns and other hunting guilds are people monetizing PvP in the guise of justice, since Aincrad doesn't really have any sort of law enforcement.

My hope is to use the game world of SAO in creative ways not seen very often, but in ways that make sense.

Also, more setup, new info on Taiki and more glitch stuff. Drama and battle fights inbound next chapter.

As always, thanks for reading this far. If you liked anything in here or found it God awful, please leave a review. They're my only real metric for how well I'm doing.


	12. Chapter 10: Tandem Pursuits

She'd briefly considered returning to their home in the Starting City, but had opted to wait in Sveltheim. Everyone would probably be back by tonight or tomorrow morning, and where they were planning on going after paying Mori was anyone's guess. Where Haruki intended to go after was even more uncertain. Better to stick around and meet them when they returned. Haruki was not what one might call a very social person, and had spent the last several hours since they'd left wandering around town on her own. The sounds of cheers drew her towards the town's arena; a structure built much like a modest coliseum. With nothing better to do she bought a ticket and found a seat just as a new round was starting. Each duel appeared set to a first-to-yellow type.

She watched disinterestedly as a larger man with a spiked mace and buckler utterly dominated a player with a spear. The winner of the duel would then fight a challenger, then the next until someone finally defeated them. The man with the mace and buckler was in the ring for eight rounds before he was toppled by player wielding a shotel and the cycle started anew. Each round was preceded by a rush of bets, but Haruki abstained; that was more her husband's hobby. The crowd cheered as the man with the shotel swept his opponent off his feet and delivered a swift kick to his face, ending the duel in victory.

"Maybe I should've just gone along…" Haruki muttered to herself, a little concerned with letting Mamoru go along without her. It wasn't often they split up this far. "No, I'm done wasting my time with this."

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"I'm just sayin', I don't mind her staying behind." Devlin said to Taiki. "Better she stay there than pull another fit like she did up north."

"I'm not disagreeing with you." He replied in a low voice, glancing at Mamoru. "But maybe you shouldn't be so vocal about it right now."

"Fine, fine." Devlin relented. "I'll shut up."

The trek was taking longer than they'd hoped. The terrain was more unfavourable, as the softly rolling hills became more steep, covered in knee high thorny shrubs that were becoming a nuisance to navigate through. They'd also been steadily ascending, walking uphill. A while longer and the ground started to slowly transition to exposed rocky outcroppings.

Their journey came to a pause when they reached a gorge that was over thirty meters across. Taiki sidled up to it and peeked down over the edge. The walls were straight cliffs, reaching almost fifteen meters down to a dried riverbed. The opposing bank was nothing but uneven granite and shale with no vegetation apart from the sparse, stubborn shrub.

"Well, now what?" Amber asked, suddenly beside him. He flinched, backing away from the edge.

Chie opened her menu to check her map when Cedric peered down the gorge to the right.

"I think I see a bridge." He said, starting towards it.

True enough, there was a bridge reaching from one side to the other. Its construction did not, however, inspire any confidence in its abilities to fulfill its purpose. The bridge was composed of thin wooden planks held together with frayed old ropes. On either end, two posts were stuck in the ground, with ropes serving as handrails running along the structure. It dipped down under its own weight, with the entire thing swaying lightly in the breeze. It was not a reassuring sight.

"Well," Devlin crossed his arms, "that is some Indian Jones level rickety-ass bullshit."

"I'm not sure about this thing." Taiki watched the thing sway from side to side.

"We go one at a time." Chie declared. "Send Brenda first."

Amber looked like she was going to question the order, but relented. As the only NPC present, she was the best option to test the bridge, and the most expendable in the event anything happened. She pulled aside her companion to deliver some encouraging words that were likely entirely unnecessary, and ordered her to cross. The planks of the walkway creaked and groaned, but held fast as the NPC stoically traversed to the other side without incident. Once there, she turned around and waved.

"Ok," Cedric started, "Taiki should go next."

"How do you figure?" Devlin cocked an eyebrow. "It should be you then Amber then me, then Chie then Mamoru. Smallest to biggest. Taiki should cross last."

"That logic only works if you're treating us all as individuals. What if it supports you, but not Chie?" Cedric countered. "As a team, we should test it with the heaviest person, that way we'll know it can carry any of the rest of us. In the event it can't, we'll all still be together,-"

Amber scrunched her face on Brenda's behalf, but Cedric continued, "-which would allow us to better facilitate any recovery effort. With your method we could end up with half on either side."

Taiki couldn't fault his line of reasoning. "He's got a point."

Having come to a consensus, he stepped up to the bridge, placing his hands on the railings. He took a pensive step out. The wood plank issues a series of creeks, but remained in one piece. Another step, and the next plank produced a distressing combination of quiet cracks and snaps. Taiki realized his hands had grasped the railings in a white knuckled grip. The bridged looked a lot longer now that he was on it. He glanced behind him; he had still only taken two steps.

"Don't like heights?" Amber asked.

"Well, my earliest memory is waking up in freefall surrounded by screaming people just before they died, so, no." Taiki took another hesitant step. "Don't think I do."

"It's not high enough to kill you." Devlin commented. "Not at full health, anyways."

"Good to know." Taiki tried to keep his eyes straight ahead.

He felt one of the planks start to give when he put his weight on it, and skipped on to the next. Wanting to spend as little time as possible on the bridge, Taiki started to quicken his pace. It was still a slow and incredibly wary journey.

"We're going to be here a while." Devlin quipped. His friend was only a quarter of the way over.

"It's…actually kind of funny." Cedric commented. "Like watching a bear trying to walk on eggshells."

"More like a baby's first steps." Chie added.

"Heh, you're right." Devlin chuckled. "It's adorable."

"I can hear you, you know." Taiki shouted back to them. _Half way there. Just keep moving._

After placing one foot in the other several more times, he was able to step off the bridge and back onto solid ground. Taiki took a few long strides away from the edge, happy to be off of it and eager to be away from it. For a moment, he thought even Brenda looked amused.

"Guess I'll go next." Devlin said, starting towards the bridge. He confidently walked out onto it, and on the third step his foot snapped a plank in half. The entire bridge jerked and shook as he grabbed the rails and caught himself. "Sonuva_Shit!"_

"Yeah, I skipped that one." Taiki called out.

"Thanks for the warning." Devlin shouted back, dryly. The rest of his walk across was a bit more cautious.

The remainder of the party crossed without incident. From here, the path towards their mission became more sharply inclined upwards. Occasionally, the hike would stop for a short climb. Thankfully none were higher than a few meters at a time. If there was any consolation, it was that the trip back down should be much quicker and easier.

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A loud report of a sword breaking against a shield and the crowd cheering roused Haruki from her nap. She'd fallen asleep in her seat at the arena, leaned back with her arms crossed. Below her, the woman with the shield and a short spear launched into an all-out attack against her now unarmed opponent. The arena had died down some as players filtered out, gradually being replaced with scattered NPCs to keep up the illusion of a busy event. Eventually, around six or seven, they too would start leaving.

It was almost five o'clock; late enough for an early dinner. Her stomach concurred, and she got up to seek something to eat, not bothering to watch the ending to the fight in the ring. MakiMori's was the only tavern she was really familiar with in this town, and the second storey served as an inn. Should her party come back late enough to warrant her needing a place to sleep, it would save her the hassle of going anywhere else.

MakiMori's was sparsely occupied; the dinner rush had yet to begin. There were about a dozen people, half of which were at one table, and a few NPC spread throughout the room. She took a seat at an empty table, exchanging the obligatory pleasantries with the ever cheerful owner. She ordered a simple meal and ate without much care for its enjoyment. Once that task was completed and out of the way she ordered a drink and nursed it slowly, trying to think of something else to pass the time. Haruki turned in her seat when she sensed someone approaching from the side.

"Evening." He said. He looked vaguely familiar.

"Yes?" She asked, simple and direct.

"You look a bit bored." He commented. He was a handsome young man with simple pants and a green long sleeved shirt in a Chinese style. He might have been anywhere from nineteen to twenty one.

"Did I look lonely?" Haruki asked, a little roughly.

"Considering your party left you behind," He countered, "yeah, little bit."

She recognized him; he was one of the people Mamoru had been playing cards with earlier. He gestured to a large round table in the corner of the room with six people seated around it. "We've got a new game going. Few people left; got some new faces. You're welcome to join us."

She twisted in her seat to follow his direction. A woman about her age waved at her. "I'm not too good at cards."

He smile widened. "Good to hear; maybe I can get some of the money your husband took, back. It's all small stakes. We're all just passin' time. Name's Junjie, in case you forgot."

She didn't say anything.

"Well, we've got a seat open if you want it. Enjoy your drink." Getting the hint, he bowed and pivoted, returning to the others.

"Junjie." She muttered to herself when she once again alone. "Now that's a pretentious name."

She stared at her glass, tapping the side, watching the ripples in the surface of her drink. Haruki considered messaging Mamoru but stopped herself. She didn't really have anything important to say, and didn't want to bother him without reason, or distract him during a fight. Her glass was raised and its contents imbibed. It clacked against the table as she set it back down. Her fingers continued to idly tap against it, creating a much hollower tone.

A closed mouth yawn morphed into a long sigh and she scooted her chair back. Haruki stood, and made her way over to the other players. Junjie waved as she approached, directing her to a seat to his left.

"Was starting to think you were going to sulk over there all night." Junjie said. He looked to the rest of the players at the table. "Everyone, this is Haruki."

She nodded to the gathered people.

"I suppose introductions are in order. You've met me." He pointed to himself, then to the woman to their left. She might have been a couple years older than her, and was just a little shorter. "This is Chuntao,"

He moved on to the next person, working clockwise. He was a male in his mid-teens with a soft face and short but wavy black hair. Like Junjie and Chuntao, the boy had similarly Chinese attire. "and this is Xiaodan. We're waiting for the rest of our party; taking a crack at the floor boss tomorrow."

"That there is Sadler." He was a boy of fourteen with simple clothes consisting of knee high shorts and a cream coloured t-shirt.

"G'day." Sadler said with a two fingered wave.

"That's Rose and Thorn." Junjie pointed at the next two in turn. The former was a lithe girl around sixteen with red dyed hair hanging in thick curls down to her shoulder blades and a slim one piece dress of the same colour that hugged her close. She wore elbow length red gloves covered in winding black floral filigree matching her name. The boy next to her looked like he might have been a couple years older, with short cut, spiked hair swept back, with a light brown hue. He was dressed in an earthen coloured shirt and pants, with darker browns like wood grain running vertically along them.

"Pleased to meet you." Rose said in a warm voice like silk. Thorn nodded, but said nothing.

"And this card sharkin' bastard here is," Junjie started with a playful tone, pointing to the player to his right, with the largest pile of chips at the table, "I forget. Who were you again?"

"Seeker." He was dressed in a black hooded longcoat. His hood was pulled up, casting his face in shadow. Haruki could see a sharp chin, and the glint of light reflecting off darkened glasses. He slowly turned to face the newcomer. His voice was just above a whisper; harsh and coarse. "Welcome to the table, Haruki."

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"About time." Devlin said more to himself than anyone else.

They'd finally arrived at the entrance to their quest as the clock had reached a quarter after six. Before them was a squat, simple bunker about forty meters square. It was built into the rock face of a twenty meter cliff, composed of the same granite. The entrance was a single steel door, covered in rust. It didn't look like much, but the majority of the vault's complex would be underground. There were no outer guards.

"Alright." Chie started. "Everyone stick together. We play this slow and we play it smart. Watch each other's backs and this shouldn't be too much of a problem. Taiki, with Haruki sitting this out you're our main tank. Take point and point yourself at the big ones. Devlin, Amber, back him up."

Taiki glanced to the west; the sun was making its descent towards the horizon. Depending on how long they were inside, it was probable they'd be walking back after dark. He opened the entrance and stepped through, sword already drawn. Inside was a plain rectangular room that looked like it took up the entire ground floor. The area was poorly lit by weakly flickering torches. Facing the entrance were the first four of what Taiki expected to be the main enemy for the duration of their visit.

Each was the slightly taller than the average man, just under six feet, and was composed of dried, rotted grey flesh. They had a humanoid shape, but with thinner limbs and fingers that were far too long, giving them a frail, if off-putting appearance. Taiki realized they had no eyes, only empty, sunken sockets. The creatures had no noses, and a mouth full of cracked, broken teeth. With every breath, heavy black smoke poured from their mouths. Adorning them was light armour composed of thin steel plates covering their torsos and upper legs and arms, blackened by age and decay. Two of them wielded slim curved swords, and two carried spears, likewise worn by time and use. Under their red icons was the straightforward title 'Hollowed Watchman'.

Taiki wasted no time in charging forward, slapping the head of the spear of the nearest undead with his shield and closing the distance, impaling it on his sword. He kicked his foot out, pushing it back and off his weapon, and followed with a pair of quick cuts through its head and neck that emptied its life bar. As it burst into pixels he checked around him, seeing that the rest of his party had already dealt with the other three targets.

_Not a bad start_. He thought to himself.

The room was empty, save for a steel trap door in the far right corner of the room that opened to a flight of stone stairs leading down into the floor below them. They could hear something moving out of sight within the shadows. Like the room they were in, it was dimly lit by torches ensconced along the walls.

"And down we go." Devlin said to himself as much as anybody else.

The stairs were wide enough to descend two at a time, and he and Taiki stepped down into the room beyond. Like the one they were coming from, it was empty, though fairly smaller. The only occupant was a lone watchman. The two of them wasted no time in quickly dispatching the creature.

"Ok, good start." Chie started, "We do this room by room. Simple breach and clear."

Amber and her NPC were still at the top of the stairs. Taiki noticed the girl looked decidedly nervous, more so than he'd seen before.

"Is it too late to go back?" Amber asked.

Chie cocked an eyebrow. "What? We just spent hours getting here. Something wrong?"

"No," Amber replied, obviously feeling to the contrary, "I just…I don't like it here."

"We keep moving and we won't be here any longer than we need." Chie beckoned with her off hand. "C'mon."

Amber hesitantly descended the stairs, each step looking forced. Her shield was on her back, and her off hand was holding Brenda's sleeve. Chie took on a concerned expression and walked over to her, speaking low enough that nobody but the two of them could hear. From what he could pick up from their lips, Taiki pieced together that their leader was asking what the issue was, and the latter girl was insisting she was fine. Amber gave a forced nod in the affirmative to some question, and let go of Brenda's sleeve.

With Chie's direction, they continued to the next room. Taiki opened the door, and they would enter and clear out the occupants. The enemies within were more of the same easily dispatched mobs, numbering no more than four per chamber. Each room was a bare as the last, containing nothing but a few torches and the enemies within. Each floor was made up of four equal sized rooms, and soon they fell into a rhythm of clearing each then descending to the next.

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There was a collective groan around the table as Seeker revealed his cards. With only his grin visible within his hood, he reached out and scooped up the pot for the fifth time in a row. With almost all of his face shrouded, he certainly had the best poker face out of the lot of them. Once claimed, he placed the gold coins into neat stacks. They'd been using Col coins of differing values in place of chips, finding they served much the same purpose.

Haruki looked at her own dwindling stack of coins; gambling had always been more of Mamoru's forte. Thankfully the stakes were low enough that she'd not lost more money than she could afford to. The point of the game was less about money, and more amusement. Haruki almost found herself enjoying the company.

"I swear, you've gotta be hiding cards somewhere, or somethin'." Junjie said jovially. He'd turned out to be a rather chatty person. "Keep this up and we'll have to hold you up by your boots and shake you 'till the deck falls loose."

"You are welcome to try and win it back." Seeker replied. "My pockets are not nearly full."

"You're full of something, alright." Junjie chuckled. "Gotta be, taking a name like 'Seeker'."

"I am Seeker because it is what I am." The hooded man countered.

Despite his shrouded appearance and raspy whisper of a voice, the hooded man had likewise proved just as talkative. "We are all strangers here, but say my name and you know about me all that you need. I seek, therefore, I am Seeker. What I am is who I am. I ask you, what is Junjie?"

"Not expecting this sort of discussion, I guess." He answered.

The game took a pause as the conversation continued.

"You some kind of hunter?" Sadler chimed in.

"This one gets it." Seeker gestured to the boy. "I am, of sorts."

"That what brings you here?" Sadler asked. "If you're hunting reds, are there any areas we should be avoiding?"

"I heard something about a red player that was here about a week ago." Chuntao offered. "Few people tried to run him off before he left with another party."

"Yeah, I heard about that, too." Junjie added. "Heard they got their asses kicked by a quest companion, of all things. I guess it was embarrassing enough for them to leave town."

Haruki was thankful her party hadn't been mentioned by name.

"Not my concern." Seeker answered. "What I'm after lies above us."

"You're headed up to the next floor?" Rose asked, prompting a nod to the affirmative from the hooded man. Over the course of the evening she'd inched closer and closer to Thorn, eventually ending up sitting on one of his legs. She'd ceased playing cards, instead opting to drape her arms around him. He'd taken to holding his cards in one hand, with the other arm around Rose's waist, who fulfilled the task of adding his coins to the pot when needed. "We are, as well."

"Three of us going up and three of us staying for the floor boss." Junjie listed before turning to Sadler. "What about you? What brings you here? Another solo player on the hunt?"

"I'm no solo player." Sadler took a sip from a cup of coffee. "I'm waiting for my party to finish a job. Escorting an NPC caravan from here to Bonapuur isn't my idea of a good time, so I stayed behind."

Sadler turned to Haruki. "I guess we've got something in common, there. You opt out of a job, too?"

Haruki nodded.

"Escort quest?" Chuntao asked. "Seems to be about the only thing around since Midas got here."

"A raid quest." She answered.

Xiaodan leaned forward in his seat. "Where'd you manage to find one of those?"

"Midas." Haruki said with obvious disapproval. She decided she might as well vent a little. "Worse yet is that we're not even keeping the money. Broker's taking more than a quarter of the payout, and the rest is going towards helping a stray we've picked up."

"Sounds like a pretty poor deal." Junjie stated. He glanced around the table. The conversation had died down; he shuffled the cards. "Speaking of dealing, are we good for another hand?"

Haruki deposited the remainder of her pile of coins back into the ether of her wallet. "I should see about getting myself a room. Thanks for inviting me over."

"No problem." Junjie replied. "Maybe we'll meet again, sometime."

Haruki walked across the tavern to Maki to make the arrangements. She glanced behind her; her departure seemed to have bought about the end of the game, and the other players were likewise excusing themselves and going their separate ways.

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It was a little after seven when they reached the vault. Its entrance was a heavy looking steel trap door, much like the ones on every floor, but covered in tarnished silver. The path here had been simple enough. The fights were too easy, and had become monotonous. By the time they'd reached the vault door, they'd descended through seven floors.

Taiki reached down and grasped the handle, lifting it open. The door was revealed to be a full fifteen centimeters thick. A puff of long stagnant air rushed out of it as the seal was broken. With a rusted groan, it was opened to rest perpendicular to the floor. Unlike every room before it, there were no enemies within. Taiki walked down the steps into it, with Devlin and Mamoru trailing behind. Amber lingered at the top of the stairs, still looking skittish.

He didn't like it here; even with the torches it was too dark and the air smelled wrong. It had the scent of stagnation and decay. With his initial awakening in the boss labyrinth, the incursion into the chitahn cave, and now this, he wondered if there were any more pleasant venues for quests. Taiki was suddenly aware of something odd about the room, but couldn't place it. He surveyed his surroundings, but nothing was obviously different. It was vaguely like walking into a room with a different air pressure. After going seven storeys underground that seemed likely. He stretched his jaw, prompting a popping sensation in his ears. He looked to his left to see Devlin doing the same thing.

Amber and Brenda finally made their way down into the room. Once inside, the NPC stiffened a moment.

"We have entered an anti-crystal zone." She declared.

Before anyone could say anything, the torches went out, plunging the room into utter darkness. There was a loud slam of steel on stone accompanied by a surprised shriek. Thinking they might be under attack, Taiki held his shield and sword ready and backed away from where he'd last saw the door to the next room. He felt himself bump into someone, judging by the location and feel of the cloak it to be Devlin. The figure opened his menu, illuminating his face and upper torso in soft blue light, confirming his assessment. Sensing no immediate danger, Taiki switched his sword into his off hand, one of the upsides of a shield attached to his forearm, and opened his menu as well.

The panel only gave enough light to show himself to his party. He couldn't even see the floor from its light. He counted the faces hovering in the darkness. He'd just reached a number shy of two when a dull thudding started. By the sound of it, Amber was trying to open the trap door to the floor above, shoving her shoulder up against it in a panic.

He heard a sharp crack, and the room was filled with a faint orange glow. Cedric passed the glowstone to Chie and summoned another. A translucent orange crystalline stone appeared in his hand; a faceted rough sphere the size of a billiard ball. He gripped it in his hand and it cracked, starting to glow from within. It was dimmer than the torches, but enough to be able to faintly see the whole room again.

With the door above refusing to budge in the slightest, Amber quickly walked up to Chie. "It won't open!"

Taiki took her place and tried to lift it. With a grunt of effort, it started to rise. He felt more than heard it hit an obstruction. He repeated the motion and traced where the sound was coming from. "It's locked. Feels like a deadbolt, or something."

"We need to get out of here!" Amber shouted.

Her breaths were short and rapid, and she looked like she was searching for any exit to bolt to. Taiki briefly wondered if it was possible for her to hyperventilate. She grasped Brenda by the wrist.

"We can't." He replied, stepping back down the stairs. "Not that way."

"Well, that's just great." Mamoru said. "This certainly bodes well."

"We're trapped!" Amber shouted.

"Everybody calm down!" Chie said loudly.

Amber forced her breathing to slow, but still was still clutching Brenda. Their arrangement was curious enough to cause Taiki to study them for a moment. Amber was standing close to Brenda's right, slightly behind her. Her off hand was gripped around the NPC's right wrist.

_Not the hand, but the wrist. Odd. _Taiki tried to not look too obviously like he was staring. She didn't have the appearance of someone holding a companion, but instead was clutching something so it couldn't go anywhere without her. She glanced his way, and he cut his inspection short.

Taiki pointed to the glowstone in Cedric's hand. "How long do those last?"

"An hour." The boy answered. "We've got more if we need them."

"We can do a little better." Devlin walked over to the wall and pulled a thumb sized red stone out of one of his pockets. He held his sword up to one of the torches and drew the stone along the inner unsharpened edge near it. A shower of sparks erupted from his blade and relit the torch. He repeated the motion with a few other torches and returned the sparkstone to its pocket.

With the room once again fully illuminated, albeit not particularly brightly, Amber started to calm back down. She still looked to be having trouble maintaining her composure. She finally let go of her companion, her expression taking on an embarrassed hue.

"We're not trapped." Chie, for her part, looked entirely unbothered. "This just means we're obligated to finish the quest. My bet is there's another exit at the end or a way to open this door afterwards. Nothing's changed."

She gave a concerned look to Amber. "New game plan. Taiki, you breach, Cedric rolls in a few glowstones, then you advance and tank. Devlin and Mamoru will cover you. Cedric, Brenda and I will pick at the stragglers. Amber, you take up the rear."

"What? No." Amber objected, the notion of taking the rear apparently bothering her almost as much as being trapped here. She moved up to Taiki and Devlin. "I can stay on flank."

Chie thought a moment, then gave a slow nod. "Ok. Brenda will take the rear."

Judging by everyone's surprised response to Amber's reaction, Taiki presumed this was not something any of them had seen her do before. Taiki sensed that whatever was bothering her was probably private; he tapped her shoulder to get her attention and turned the two of them away from the group.

He leaned in, speaking low. "You sure you're okay?"

"Mmfine." She replied quickly. "Fine. I'm fine. I just… I don't like it here."

"Don't like the dark?" He asked, not entirely convinced.

"It's not that." Amber stated. "I don't want to talk about it. I'll be okay."

"Alright." Taiki glanced at the collected party. He was trying not to sound too soft like he was coddling her. "Because when I go through that door, I'm going to head straight for the meanest looking thing in there, and I need you to watch my back."

"Got it." She held her weapon ready. She noticed his uncertain expression, repeating more forcefully. "I said I got it."

"Good." Taiki said, switching back into a tone loud enough for all to hear. "Now, what was Brenda saying about anti-crystals?"

"It's one of the benefits of an NPC companion." Amber answered, happy to change the subject. "They can detect anti-crystal zones. Only other way to know is to try and use one."

"Useful. Can't say I knew that." Devlin said.

"Not very good news, though." Chie stated. "All the more reason to be cautious, everyone."

Taiki reviewed what he knew of such fields. As their names suggested, they were areas where players could not use any of the crystal family of items; healing, cure, teleport, etc. As far as traps and hazards go, they were dangerous both for the obvious reason that they prevented the use of any crystals, but also that there was no way for players to know they'd stepped into one until they attempted to use one. If someone was trying to use a crystal, chances are they needed it. This in mind, Brenda's unexpected ability proved quite helpful.

Zones were usually simple three dimensional geometric shapes, such as a cube or sphere, but multiple zones could be overlapped through each other to form more complicated areas. With the vault underground, it was probably a cuboid containing the entire complex. There were two types of zones, though they both had the same effect. Some anti-crystal zones had something at its epicenter called an Interdictor Crystal that generated the zone and could be destroyed. Most zones, however, simply existed, and could not be removed or changed. There was no way of knowing which they were in, but it was probably the latter. The zone might have also been here the entire time, or triggered along with the door that sealed them in. Being invisible fields, they could be very hard to gauge or properly map.

Such zones were also normally around areas containing tougher enemies, tempting loot, and usually both in proximity to each other. An anti-crystal zone hinted at an impressive reward, but exploring them without due caution could prove a fatal endeavor. With vault door sealed, this meant the only way out was likely through it. Despite how easy their foray into the bunker had been this far, Taiki was expecting whatever was ahead to be far worse.

At Chie's direction, Taiki approached the door to the next room. It was worn wooden double door rife with dry rot. He twisted the handle, but the door refused to budge; the hinges had rusted together. Devlin moved forward, reaching for his picks, but he waved him away; it wasn't locked, just stuck. He jerked on the handle, and with a crack the knob pulled straight out of the door. The bolt slid off and clattered to the floor. He held it up for the others to see, nonplussed.

Taiki bent down on one knee to look through the hole, but the room beyond was pitch black. He listened; whatever was inside already knew they were here after he'd broken the handle. Standing back, he lifted his foot and kicked the center of the doors with more force than he'd intended, splintering the wood and throwing them open. With the obstacle out of the way, Cedric rolled in a trio of glowstones, bumping into the feet of the room's occupants, lighting them from beneath as a dozen heads faced their way.

Among them was one creature larger than the others. It was just under his height, with a more complete, slightly less aged set of armour. It bore the title 'Gravewarden'. The group advanced into the room, with Devlin and Amber covering his flanks as he attacked the larger enemy. Just as he was about to engage it he noticed its weapon; a burnished long sword wrapped in a thick cloud of black smoke. It lifted its weapon in a two handed high guard, point forward, and stood its ground.

Once in range, he raised his shield to block a downwards blow and closed the distance for his shorter one handed weapon, swinging it up in an under strike at its right side. Before he could make a return swing the gravewarden retreated a step while performing a horizontal slash at his face. Taiki leaned back out of the way, but the movement left him open long enough for the creature to land a quick shallow stab. Taiki advanced to continue his attack, but his undead enemy retreated step for step, using the longer reach of his longsword to strike at him with a flurry of swings.

Taiki raised his shield high, catching a thrust aimed at his face, but his opponent's blade skidded downwards off of it and buried itself in his leading thigh. He jerked his right leg back, dislodging the weapon, but the creature went on the advance and made another thrust at his chest. Taiki batted the blade away with his own and surged forward, ducking forward to tackle his left shoulder into its gut. He wrapped his shield arm around the back of its knees and lifted it off the ground, throwing the warden over his shoulder and dropping it. It clattered to the ground behind him as it landed on its back.

Taiki pivoted on his left foot as the creature rolled onto its stomach and was rising to its knees. Before it could recover he raised his sword, letting it slip around into a reverse grip, and plunged it down, impaling it through gravewarden's head, the tip protruding though its brow. He grabbed the back of his sword's tip with his left hand and forcefully rotated the falcata like a wheel, wrenching the creature's head a full one hundred eighty degrees with a hideous snap of bone that left it looking behind itself, up at the ceiling. He withdrew his blade and raised it again, stepping to the side to deliver a heavy chop through its neck. The gravewarden burst into pixels as its head separated from its body.

A hollowed watchman was about to attack from his right before it was intercepted by Amber stabbing her sword through the side of its neck. To his left, Devlin was just finishing off one watchman and was moving on to the next. All around him his compatriots were mowing down the remnants of the mobs. Three were attacking Mamoru from all sides. He katana swept from move to counter move in a constant series of movements that were almost difficult to follow with his eyes. One of them suddenly expired as a javelin from Cedric found its home in its torso. Spotting one unspoken for foe headed for Devlin, Taiki advanced on it at a sprint. By the time it noticed his approach, Taiki was chopping his sword into its chest. The watchmen fell under a series of strikes. A moment later, the room fell quiet as the last mob was dispatched.

"Not bad, big guy." Devlin said with approval. "Nice to see all my lessons weren't a complete waste."

Taiki grinned, happy to be on the other end of the ass kicking. His smile faltered as he noticed his life bar. He'd lost about a third of it, but instead of emptying out, it had filled in from the other end with grey. He dug out a sacred stone and clenched it in his left hand. It crumbled into white sand in his grip and half of the grey bar disappeared, leaving normally empty life points. He crushed another stone, then downed a health potion to actually recover the hit points. He noticed Chie and Mamoru crushing a couple curse removing stones of their own.

"Hopefully not too many of them have cursed weapons." Mamoru said.

At Chie's direction, Taiki approached the room to the next room. As the commotion had no doubt alerted anything in there of their presence, Taiki opted to skip the handle and kicked the door in, snapping it in half and breaking it off two of the hinges. Cedric rolled in his glowstones, and they again advanced.

The room beyond was the first with obvious loot. Shelves lined the walls, with chests resting beneath. It also contained seven gravewardens, all armed with various cursed weapons. Taiki decided which one looked the angriest, armed with a two handed axe, and headed in. He was flanked on either side by his friends, and the fight started with a javelin sailing over them into the leading warden.

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Haruki sat on the bed of her rented room on the second storey of MakiMori's. It was almost ten o'clock now. She'd headed up to the room after the card game, and had spent the time since reading a book with little interest. It was closed and returned to her inventory an hour ago. Since then, she'd been staring into the soft blue light of her menu. She had her party tab open, watching the statuses of her guild mates as they worked on their quest, or rather, the status of her husband.

Occasionally she would see his health dip as they entered a fight, and then slowly refill in the aftermaths. Mamoru's health had never entered the yellow during the last hour, so whatever he was fighting appeared to be within his abilities. Still, she couldn't force herself to close her menu. From the grey occasionally filling in their health bars, she deduced the presence of cursed weapons.

A raid mission at this level fighting enemies with tainted weapons could easily go south quickly. She once again found herself wishing she'd gone along, followed by a huff as she reminded herself why she'd stayed. If anything, Mamoru shouldn't have gone along either. She watched dispassionately as Chie's health took a sudden dip into the yellow, followed by Amber.

Over time, the quest objectives in her menu updated as they located and gathered the items for the raid. Her inventory also contained new items as her husband claimed loot from the vault. She tabbed over to her shared inventory and withdrew something that had just been added. The freshly looted copper candlestick appeared before her. She placed it on the nightstand beside the bed and lit it.

Figuring they were between battles, Haruki tabbed over to her mailbox, typing out a message to her other half.

[Be safe.]

With a poke of her finger, the superfluous message was sent. A moment later the response came.

[Almost done. Heading back soon.]

Reassured, she nonetheless tabbed back over to her party, resuming her vigil over him, resting her hands on her knees. Her face lit by the candle light, and tinged blue from her menu. The only sound in the room was the quietly flickering flame of the candle, and the finger of one hand tapping against her leg.

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Taiki stared at the item on the shelf. It was identical to the glowstones Cedric had been using, but had a red-ish tint to the light it gave off. It also generated a constant ghostly moan. He reached out and flicked it, causing the intensity of the light and the moaning to increase for a moment.

"Would you stop playing with that and just pick it up?" Devlin said, looting a thick book covered in jagged runes. Their quest status updated as he claimed the last tainted tome.

"Just wondering." Taiki flicked it again. "Why is it moaning?"

"Because," Devlin replied. "It's a moaning glowstone."

"I know that." Taiki looted an inactive version of the curious item. It didn't count towards their objective, but was instead a usable item. "But why is it moaning? I mean, what's the point?"

"I don't know. It's spooky." Devlin gave the matter a little more thought. "I guess you can use it as a noise maker, or maybe save it for Halloween. Just pick it up; things are annoying."

Taiki picked up the item, filling their quest objective. Soon after Amber claimed the final gemskull; a blackened skull covered in precious stones, with gold streamed under its eye sockets like tears.

"Guess all that's left is the axe." Mamoru said, typing out a message. His menu was closed with a wave once it was sent.

The bounty gathered from the vault had been profitable enough. They'd found the usual mix of weapon and junk items one could expect to find on any mission. They'd also come across precious stones of almost every colour, as well as some chests containing nothing but caches of Col coins. They'd likely already made up the difference of Midas' cut.

The next room was a large antechamber occupied by a quintet of gravewardens and a handful of watchmen. Once they were cleared out, they reviewed their supplies. The journey here had been more difficult than he'd hoped, but he'd held his own well enough. Whenever he found himself becoming overwhelmed, Devlin and Amber had been there the entire time to bail him out. Still, he was looking forward to leaving this place. Amber had returned to her usual self, but clearly felt the same way.

Taiki crushed the last of his sacred stones and drank another health potion to replenish his lost life. A quarter of his health was still cursed. Around him, his guild mates performed similar preparations before heading into the boss room. Before them was what was obviously the door to the boss. It was a massive double door four meters tall and six wide. It was made from smooth black stone, and was sealed with a long steel bar crossing both doors on the outside.

Once they were all ready, Taiki lifted the bar and dropped it off to the side. The doors pulled open, and the glowstones were rolled inside. The came to rest about ten meters inside; little islands of soft light. Nothing moved inside, and the room was large enough that they couldn't see its walls. They all raised their weapons, and advanced inside. The doors shut behind them, and light flickered into being on the walls to either side as ensconced torches lit of their own accord one after the other in a slow wave.

The room was revealed to be a fat trapezoid, extending sixty meters in front of them. It was almost eighty meters at its widest point, and was almost sixty at the entrance. Lining the walls on either side were upright black stone coffins, more than he could immediately count. Scattered throughout the room were ten centimeter thick, meter and a half tall stone columns topped with now lit torches. In the center of the far end of the room was a long row of chests. Behind that was a raised dais with another upright stone coffin, facing them. Beside it was a two handed jagged battle axe with the head dug into the floor.

Once all the torches in the room had lit, several of the coffins along the walls opened. A dozen lids fell open; the heavy stones filling the room with their reports as they impacted the ground. Their occupants walked out, their undead bodies animating. They were like the gravewardens, but larger still, fully covered in armour. They're weapons varied in shape, but were all two handed long weapons, wreathed in black smoke. Over each of their heads was the title 'Eternal Vaultkeeper'.

The Wayward Pact closed ranks, letting their enemy come to them. Cedric summoned a stack of javelins, and raised one, prepared to launch it. The vault keepers broke into a charge, coming from either side. Once they were within ten meters, Chie gave the word. The first javelin was let loose, and the party broke to engage the advancing undead. Taiki, Devlin and Mamoru took to the right, While Chie, Amber and Brenda moved to the left. Cedric stayed in the center, out of the main fight, providing ranged support with his projectiles.

Devlin was the first to engage, launching a throwing knife into the eye of the nearest target and jumping into a dive kick that planted his feet into it chest. The mob was knocked backwards off its feet and Devlin fell to the floor, quickly spring boarding back to his feet, ducking down under a strike with a battle axe at his torso. He spun out of the way of another attack, swinging his khopesh low, catching the hook around a knee and dropping a second enemy.

Taiki passed one of the foes on the floor, delivering a running kick to its face as he passed it. He met the next head on, blocking the thrust of a trident with his falcata between the tines, the back of his blade braced against his off hand. His swept the weapon aside and went on the offensive, chopping away at its face. A second vaultkeeper moved to engage him, but was put off balance by a javelin impaling its chest. Taiki grabbed the javelin with his shield hand and pulled it free, immediately stabbing it down through the creature's foot.

Mamoru was on a slow but steady advance on two of his own opponents. His katana a blur as it moved seamlessly from block to slash to parry to strike. For a man as stocky as him, Taiki was always surprised to see him in motion.

One after the other, the vaultkeepers fell. Once the last on their side expired under the combined efforts of Devlin and Mamoru, they turned to see the other half of their party mopping up the last of their own opponents. They regrouped just as the lid of the coffin at the far end of the room fell open. An undead a head taller than Taiki stepped forward from its coffin. It was covered in thick black armour, pristine and gleaming. Only its head was uncovered, under the title 'Hollowed Warmaster Tsun-Koh: The Undying'. It plucked the axe from the floor and started towards them. As it stepped down from the dais, ten more coffins to the sides of the room opened, and more vaultkeepers awakened.

Chie pointed her sword at the approaching boss. "Taiki! Tank that thing until we clear out the adds. Amber, keep the little ones from getting behind him."

Taiki nodded and started towards Tsun-Koh. The warmaster spotted him and adjusted its heading. It increased its speed to a full tilt charge, holding its axe in front of it, its off hand holding the shaft at its midpoint. Taiki likewise charged forward, leaning into his advance. He could hear Amber behind him, keeping pace before she split off to discourage a vaultkeeper from following after him.

The warmaster let loose a bestial roar as they closed, dipping its axe down and behind it, opening with a heavy downwards chop. Taiki shifted course just in time to miss the strike as the axe hacked into the floor. He continued forward, impaling his falcata through its gut, sinking it to the hilt. Their momentum spent, Taiki followed with a left hook. With its left hand, Tsun-Koh reached out and tried to grab him by the throat. Taiki withdrew his sword, ducking back out of reach while cutting his sword up through the extended arm. He circled around behind it, striking at its kidney.

With unexpected speed Tsun-Koh turned and snapped out a foot out in a kick that caught him in the chest, launching him off his feet. The warmaster gave an agitated huff, and with its right hand it plucked the axe from the floor. With its back now turned to the rest of the battle, Tsun-Koh resumed its approach towards Taiki. He retreated, drawing a throwing knife in his left hand and letting it fly. It impacted the warmaster under its clavicle; it didn't even budge. One after the other Taiki let loose the rest of his projectiles. The third rebounded off the handle of the axe, but the others all found purchase in his undaunted opponent. It ignored the offending objects, not even slowing to remove them.

Behind it, Taiki could see the party still fighting the last of the wardens when he heard another ten coffins open. Their occupants wasted no time in replenishing their numbers fighting his friends. Judging by the number of yet sealed coffins along the walls, he was on his own.

_Well…shit._

Tsun-Koh let out another roar and charged him. It closed the distance quicker than expected, with Taiki blocking a swing at his side almost too late. The force of the blow knocked his shield aside. It was brought back just in time to ward off the next strike. The monster battered away, each strike pushing Taiki back, sweeping away his shield brought back just in time to catch the next. Finally, the warmaster made an opening that lasted long enough for the following blow to exploit.

The axe swept down and to the side, slicing through his leading leg. Taiki dropped to a knee, and the axe swung around into a downwards chop that buried itself into his sternum. He looked down at the weapon a moment, horrified at the sight of it. The axe was jerked from his chest as the warmaster spun to the left, swinging its right foot up in a kick to the side of his head that left him skidding along the floor.

Taiki pulled himself to his feet, once again retreating as he dug a health potion from one of his pockets; his life was nearly in the red. Not wanting to allow the recovery, Tsun-Koh pulled one of the knives still embedded in his chest and threw it straight into Taiki's surprised face.

"You've got to be kidding me!" He gulped down the contents of two vials after removing the projectile and tried to dodge the rest of his own throwing knives, hearing a couple plink off his shield.

His health slowly started to refill, but he could tell it wouldn't account for much; the right half of his health bar was filled grey from the warmaster's cursed weapon. Taiki tried to keep his distance, watching the health bar creeping its way back to the half-way point. He circled around it, his back once again to his friends.

Tsun-Koh let out an angry bellow at its opponent's retreat and lifted its axe with both of its hands grasping the base of the handle over its head, letting the axe sag down behind its back. Taiki was wondering what it was doing when the warmaster lurched forward, swinging the weapon up over its head and letting it loose. It flew towards him, tumbling end over end. Surprised, Taiki had just enough time to pull his shield up.

The impact nearly toppled him. There was a splintering crack as his shield shattered, falling into jagged fragments of steel that broke into pixels. The warmaster held out its right hand, and the axe flew back into its grip. It raised the weapon a second time and hurled it towards him. Taiki dove out of the way as the projectile embedded itself in the floor. He hazarded a glance behind him; his team was battling yet another wave of vaultkeepers. They were slowly being pushed back towards the door under the constant attacks.

_This isn't working._ He thought. _Think of something._

The axe returned to its owner, and was again launched at him. Taiki sidestepped out of its path as it chopped into the floor. As the weapon was pulled free by the will of the warmaster, Taiki reached out and grasped its handle, halting it. Tsun-Koh cocked its head, either in confusion or amusement, and flexed its hand. The pull on the weapon strengthened, and Taiki's feet started to slip against the floor. He braced himself, slowing it to a crawl.

Tsun-Koh stomped its foot down, gesturing with its hand in a pull. Taiki sheathed his sword, grabbing the axe with both hands. He was slowly dragged towards the warmaster, losing ground in the strangest match of tug of war he'd likely ever participated in. The handle burned against his hands, seeking escape. Tsun-Koh gave an agitated growl as its own feet briefly slipped.

_You want this back? Fine._ Taiki thought. _Just a little closer._

He heard rapid footsteps approaching from behind, but couldn't turn to see their source. Suddenly, Amber sprinted past him, charging the monster.

She thrust her sword into its gut, then spun around its left side, pulling the weapon free in the same motion and slashing into its back as she performed a full rotation. She was hacking away when it turned towards her, backhanding her raised shield. Suddenly free of the warmaster's pull, Taiki jerked back as he regained his balance with the monster's weapon resting in his hands. He advanced, readying it for a savage chop.

Tsun-Koh turned, with its left side still towards Amber, and its right towards Taiki, and raised its hand. Taiki and the weapon flew forward the rest of the distance as the axe sought to return to the warmaster's grip. Taiki didn't resist, instead altering its course, causing the top of the axe head to butt into the monster's face with a boney crunch. Before Tsun-Koh could react, he lifted a foot and sent a kick into its right knee. The joint buckled, twisting the monster towards him. It was still recovering when Amber's sword punched out through its chest. Taiki swung the stolen weapon down and around behind him, bringing it up into a chop like it was a fireman's axe.

The weapon grazed Tsun-Koh's temple, shaving off its left ear and sank deep into its shoulder. Taiki unsheathed his falcata and stabbed it down into the other shoulder. With his sword on one side and his left hand pressing down on the axe on the other, Taiki held the warmaster down on its knees as Amber repeatedly stabbed it from behind, the tip of her sword poking through with each thrust.

With a desperate roar, it rose to its feet, grabbing Taiki and tossing him aside. It spun, grabbing Amber by the throat and throwing her away. It staggered forward, pulling the falcata from its flesh and dropping it. It grabbed the axe with both hands and ripped it from itself just as its life bar emptied. It sank back down to one knee, bracing itself on the axe handle and crumbled into crystalline shards. The axe stood a moment before tipping and falling over with a dull _clang_. The remaining vaultkeepers went slack, tipping over and dyeing where they stood.

Exhausted, Taiki scrunched forward into a sitting position, still on the floor. A quick look around revealed he had just as many friends alive as when they'd entered. He was still panting when Amber walked up to him, extending a hand down to him.

"Thanks for the save." He said, taking the offered hand. "Thought I was done for."

Amber stumbled forward under his weight, adjusting her feet to brace herself. A grunt escaped her lungs as she hefted him up. Like him, half of her life bar was filled grey. "You were. What were you thinking, grabbing a linked weapon?"

"That it was a good idea at the time." Taiki replied, happy to have the fight behind them. "Never heard of a 'linked weapon'."

"I'd have helped," Devlin said, meeting up with them, "but I was busy killing the rest of them. Bummer about your shield."

"Yeah." He replied. It had been the only one he'd owned.

Taiki reached down and picked up the axe. Once claimed, he checked its name out of curiosity. The jagged weapon bore the title 'Despoiler'. It still burned his palms. He held it out to Chie as the rest of their party joined them, save Brenda, who was running around the room, dutifully gathering all of Cedric's javelins.

"No thanks." She declined. Her health had only a sliver of grey. "Touching those things inflict gradual curse."

_That explains the burning._ "Hadn't noticed; half my health is already gone."

He placed the axe in his inventory, completing their quest. Once Brenda took her place at Amber's side, the party started towards the row of chests on the far wall.

Amber patted herself down. "I'm out of sacred stones."

"Same here." Taiki added.

"We all are." Chie replied. Everyone present had some amount of grey in their health bars. "That was closer than I would have liked. Sorry we couldn't back you up more, Taiki. I didn't expect so many adds."

"I'm glad you came along." Chie said to Mamoru with a smile, opening the first chest. It was filled with gold coins. "We'd've been in a real bind with just six people."

"I'm not." He replied, a bit of bitterness seeping into his voice. "Haruki might have been on the right track. A raid mission at this level was too risky."

"It wouldn't have been as big a problem if she hadn't bailed out on us." Devlin pointed out. "Having a second tank would have been a real help."

"We could've done a few easier quests and saved up the money." Mamoru stated.

"And by then Taiki's trail could have gone cold and it wouldn't accomplish anything." Chie countered. "What's done is done. Let's just get out of here; we can talk about this once we're back in town."

Mamoru looked like he might contest the point, but turned away and kicked open a chest. Taiki opened one as well. Inside was precious gems and a pair of emerald rings. He passed the latter to Chie and the party collected all that they could find. Most chests were filled with money or ingots of some precious metal; at the end, counting the loot they'd gathered throughout the quest, they'd amassed almost seventy thousand Col. Everything from any items sold could be split up amongst the party later.

Once that was finished, they turned to the exit. Behind Tsun-Koh's coffin was a four meter wide round stone archway. In the center was a thimble sized blue spark. A dedicated teleporter, much like the one he'd seen in the fields outside the floor's boss labyrinth. Unlike the gateways inside towns, they had only one destination, and could not be programed or redirected. They also did not show up on as an option coming from any other gateways; a one way teleporter.

Mamoru stepped up to it without saying anything and activated it. After a snap and pop of electricity as the spark burst into the now familiar vortex, he stepped through. Amber followed after, letting her eagerness to leave this place once again show. Once it was his turn, Taiki stepped through the threshold, with Devlin right behind.

They took form outside, near the entrance to the bunker. There was no archway on the other end, leaving them materializing in the open. Taiki looked up appreciatively at the night sky; he saw Amber beside him doing the same thing. Free of the anti-crystal zone, Brenda pulled the cleansing crystal from her satchel and held it up to Amber, uttering the vocal command to activate it. It shattered into white, sparkling fragments and the grey within Amber's health bar was expunged completely and refilled to a full green bar. Nobody else apparently owned any such crystals.

"So," Devlin started, "we walkin' or jumping back?"

"We'll have to walk." Chie answered. "I don't have any teleport crystals."

"Neither do I." Mamoru added.

"Seriously?" Devlin sounded surprised.

"I gave most of the rest of my money to Midas to pay for the quest." Chie explained. "Couldn't afford one."

"I upgraded my armour a little against poisons." Amber said. "Seemed like a good idea after getting dropped twice last time."

"You should never go _anywhere_ without at least two." Devlin looked to Taiki. "Please tell me I'm not the only one that here that plans for this."

"I've still got one." Cedric chimed in.

Taiki checked his inventory. "Yeah, I've got one."

Chie started leading the group back towards the way they came, back towards Sveltheim. "C'mon, the sooner we move the sooner we get there."

"You expecting trouble?" Amber asked as the party formed up behind their leader.

"No, but it doesn't hurt to be ready for it." Devlin answered.

Taiki looked around the group, and had to admit he saw his point. Apart from Amber, everyone present had some measure of their health claimed by a cursed status. His own was still half empty. If they got in any fights, field mobs or otherwise, they were not in the best shape to face it. As they walked, Devlin sidled up beside him, looking like he was trying to put something into words. He ended up not saying anything.

Thankfully, the return trip would be almost all downhill. The night was dark, but the sky was clear, and there was enough light from the moon to show the way. Taiki looked over to his right at Amber and her companion. She looked comfortable enough, now that they were out of the cave. It wasn't the dark that had bothered her, and she'd been fine in the last cave they'd visited. He curiously wondered what had shaken her, but knew better than to ask. It was late, and they were all tired. After completing their mission, the only thing left was to make the trip back.

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The party headed south. They'd been walking for a couple hours, following their guide. He was short and lanky, but wore a thick black animal pelt over his shoulders. His shirt and pants were simple hide. Besides him was his much more intimidating pet; a panther who's head came up to his chin, and was nearly eight feet long, not counting the tail. Behind him was Keiko, plus five others; four men and one other woman.

"How much farther?" Inquired one; a young man clad in a full suit of thick, regal looking o-yoroi samurai armour, coloured cobalt blue. On his right hip was a simple dagger, and sheathed on his back was an odachi longsword. His steps were plodding and heavy, weighed down by his armour. He was the obvious muscle of the group. He turned to the girl beside him, who was reading the map. "Odila, how much farther?"

"Quite a ways." She replied. Odila was dressed in green leather, fit snug to her shapely contours. She didn't walk so much as saunter, her long legs easily keeping pace. Her map was checked and the menu waved away. In her other hand was a two meter long kamayari style spear, held like a walking staff. It was a full foot taller than she was. "We'd get there sooner if you could move faster, Eckhardt."

"There is no reason for haste." Another man added. He was dressed in thin, black leather armour. On his hip was a deeply curved sabre. His face was shrouded in a hood and covered by a black iron plate fashioned into a skull mask. "The where is more important than the when."

Eckhardt looked back over his shoulder at the last member of their group. A boy clad in light, grey painted armour with a hand axe on either hip. "We're going the right way, right?"

"Would you shut up." Keiko commanded. "They'll hear us long before we see them with your mouth running like that."

Ent, the man one the left flank, uttered a deep, throaty chuckle. It was the most he'd said all day. He was covered head to toe in a leafy ghillie suit. None of them had even known his gender until he'd said his name out loud.

Eckhardt was about to offer an objection when she spoke over him.

"Remember, counting NPC and human targets, we're looking at seven fighters total." Keiko stated. "Counting Sasha, that makes us just one more then them. I'd like to split one or two off if we can; divide and destroy. None of that will work if they hear your big mouth first."

The heavy clad man grumbled, but said nothing further.

Keiki faced towards the boy in the rear. He'd been one of the listeners they'd left behind, now joining them on the hunt. "Still, this better not be a waste of time. You're sure they came this way?"

"Completely." Sadler replied.

* * *

Author's Notes: Coming next chapter: some stuff's gonna happen. If you've read this far, I commend your tolerance. One of things I'd like to do in this fic is to have each fight that's even vaguely important be unique in some way from all the others before it, as well as there to be a certain weight to them, where applicable. I'd like to think I've got a good one planned out for this next bit.

I see the handheld glowstones like Aincrad's slightly brighter glowsticks. I intend to work in new items like them and the sacred stones and such as needed, so long as they don't muck up the lore.

As always, thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed. If you did, or didn't, reviews and feedback are always welcome and appreciated.


	13. Chapter 11: Damage

Chie held out the lantern at arm's length and let it go. Below her, Taiki softly caught it and stepped away from the cliff side. Unencumbered, she climbed down the three meter rock face and accepted her lantern back, resuming their trek downwards. Over the past two hours, clouds had drifted across the sky, obscuring the moon and preventing it from lighting their way. Chie and Cedric had summoned a pair of candle lanterns once it had gotten dark enough to need them.

For this reason, the hike back, though downhill, was taking as long as if not longer than the trip before. It was just after three in the morning and the moon was starting to dip back towards the horizon. They'd considered finding a place to set camp for the night, but had all agreed they'd rather get back to town sooner rather than later. That, and after their last run, and Devlin's short lecture on their lack of teleportation crystals, they were somewhat uneasy about spending the night in the open.

They traveled in a tight group to avoid anyone stumbling in the dark. There were few obstacles, apart from the occasional thorned shrub, though the rocky terrain was uneven enough to be problematic without enough light. Chie and Cedric were at the front, shining their lanterns forward. Behind them to the left were Amber and Brenda, and to the right flank was Mamoru. At the rear was Devlin, far enough to be entirely in darkness; his eyes being sharp enough to not need the lanterns. He was apparently trusted enough to keep an eye out behind them.

Taiki walked between Chie and Cedric, the only person with a weapon drawn. He was serving as the forward guard in the event they came across any wandering field mobs. Twice already, the lantern bearers had to come to a stop as he rushed forward to kill a cougar, or draw the attention of a pack of wolves long enough for Amber and Mamoru to move up and support him. Their last encounter had been over an hour ago. As their hike continued, Taiki could feel his eyelids growing heavy. He rolled his shoulders, stretching his arms behind him and let loose a long yawn.

"Hey, no." Chie said lightly as his yawn became contagious, spreading to her and Cedric. She stretched, creating an audible series of pops and cracks. "Cut that out."

Taiki thought he saw movement ahead, but it was revealed to be nothing but a shrub catching a momentary breeze. He was tired, and his mind was searching for things to keep it occupied.

"I've been meaning to ask about something." He started, deciding on using conversation to keep awake and alert. When Chie nodded in acknowledgement, he continued. "Amber was explaining computer games to me and-"

"Wait, hold on." Chie held a hand up, a slight smile forming. "You didn't know what a computer game was?"

"I didn't know what a computer was." He explained. "I mean, I knew the word, but I didn't…know it; what it was."

"Oh." Chie's smile inverted. "I'm sorry. What did you want to ask?"

"So, I got the impression that they're mostly played by younger people, and most of the people I've seen are in their teens or early twenties." Taiki figured he himself was probably in his early to mid-twenties. He tried to think of a way to phrase the question without offending her. "You, Mamoru and Haruki seem to be outliers. I was just curious about that. I guess, if youth make up the majority of the player base, I was wondering what brought you here."

"You saying I'm old?" Chie smiled and stopped him before he could apologize. "I'm joking, relax."

She gave a long sigh. "Truth is, I never really liked video games. I bought this for my son. Figured I'd see what all the hype was about first."

"You've got a kid, too?" Mamoru chimed in, overhearing their conversation. He picked up the pace long enough to walk along Cedric's right. "You never said. How old is he?"

"He turned fifteen last month." She answered, voice tinged by sadness.

"I've got two girls; twenty two and twenty four." Mamoru eyed Chie. "Your kid is fifteen? Wow, I didn't peg you for a day over thirty."

"I'm twenty nine." She said simply.

It didn't take long for everyone to run the math. She raised a fist and the party came to a halt as she spotted movement ahead. Ten meters out, a rabbit stared back at them, then bolted off into the dark. After a moment's silence, they resumed their journey.

"While we're passing time and on the subject," she started, facing Mamoru, "why don't you tell him your story? You're the oldest outlier here."

"The wife's got two years on me, actually. Older players aren't really all that rare in SAO. Everyone can enjoy a bit of escapism, and a full dive game like this can even make an elderly person feel young again." He explained, looking across the three of them in the front. "For me, I've always liked games, but Haruki never much did. Called 'em a big waste of time. I wanted to play SAO with her, so I made her a deal; I'd get back in shape if she tried the game out with me."

"She fell for that?" Cedric quipped.

"I was being serious at the time." Mamoru said, mock defensively. "She's a fitness instructor on the other side, so you can bet she was going to get her end of the deal. How about you, Cedric?"

"I just bought this to relax a little." The boy answered. "Between college classes and a job, it sounded like fun."

"What were you studying?" Taiki felt like it was an obligatory question.

"Network security." He replied with a frown. "It's going to be hard getting back up to speed once this is all done with."

Taiki looked over his shoulder to the left at Amber and Brenda. "What about you? What brings you here?"

"I will avenge my family." Brenda just short of shouted.

"I've got nothing special." Amber answered quietly. "Just someone who bought the game."

"Movement, nine o'clock." Devlin suddenly spoke up. "Twenty meters and closing."

Everyone stopped, pivoting to the left. Chie and Cedric held up their lanterns, pointing them where Devlin had directed. Taiki could make out the silhouette of another cougar sized cat, quickly approaching the party. Without hesitation, he moved to intercept it, with Devlin moving alongside him. He set his feet as the large cat pounced forward.

Standing his ground, Taiki thrust his sword out to meet it, shoving it into its gaping jaws. His weapon pierced through the roof of its mouth, out the top of its head, leaving Taiki's sword hand just behind its teeth. He pushed forward and up, keeping it on its hind legs. It scratched at him with its claws, but was quickly finished off by Devlin stabbing into its side with his short sword.

A small window appeared as usual, announcing XP gained, as well as a portion of its pelt. Taiki had heard that some other games had a bizarre tendency to also have animals drop money when killed, as if that made any sense at all. With that minor distraction taken care, they returned to the party.

"You have a story?" Taiki asked him. "About how you got here?"

"Not really." Devlin answered. "My friend bought two copies and invited me to try it with him."

Taiki tried not to ask where this friend was, already guessing the answer.

"He died a little after this started." Devlin added, answering the unspoken query.

"I'm sorry to hear that." Taiki offered.

"Don't be." He replied, moving back to his spot at the rear of the group.

Taiki took his place back at the front and the party continued onwards. The next thirty minutes were uneventful, occupied only by small talk. Cedric occasionally checked and rechecked his map to adjust their heading or to navigate an easier path when needed. Eventually, they arrived at the gorge they'd crossed before. They heard the bridge gently swaying before they could see it. Having used it before, it looked less fragile, though no less shaky. Brenda was again sent across first, and again she did so without complaint or reaction.

They already knew it could support the rest of them, but Taiki wanted to get his trip across over and done with. He stepped up to the edge and took hold of the railings, trying not to look down and immediately failing. In the dark, the gorge appeared to stretch downward into a depthless black abyss.

He paused, reconsidering the order of the crossing. His ear perked, catching something, but by the time he noticed it was gone. He turned away from the ravine, peering into the darkness behind them. Nothing that he could see moved.

"See something?" Amber asked, following his gaze.

"Thought I heard something." He stared a moment longer.

_You're stalling_. He chided himself. _Just get on the damn bridge._

Taiki turned back to the shaky construct of rope and wood and placed his foot onto the first plank. The first step out of the way, he started making his way over. Thicker clouds drifted over the moon, casting the path before him in even deeper darkness. Taiki pulled a glowstone from his satchel and clenched his left hand around it. With a crack, it lit from within, illuminating the immediate area with a soft orange light. Able to at least clearly see the planks beneath him, he cautiously advanced towards the other side.

Behind him, Devlin was staring into the dark intently. His attention was drawn to an area to the right of the bridge, where a shrub sat ten meters away. He narrowed his eyes, trying to discern what was different about it. Chie noticed his observation and stood to his side.

"Something wrong?" She asked.

"Maybe." He answered. "That bush there. It's bigger than the others. I don't like it."

A light breeze slipped past them. Chie raised a hand to keep her hair out of her face. Devlin glared at the object of his attention. It didn't move in the slightest. He was about to say something further when he jerked his head to the left, looking back in the direction they'd come from.

"There's something behind us." He stated, slowly drawing his khopesh.

Chie drew her broadsword, trying to see what he what looking at. Everyone present noticed the change in atmosphere and reached for their weapons, save for Taiki, who was nearly to the other side of the bridge. "What is it?"

"I don't know." Devlin said quietly.

Chie pointed her lantern at it, and two feline eyes lit up, attached to a barely discernable panther as black as the night around it. The large cat stood still, staring back at them.

"Why is it just standing there?" Amber wondered aloud.

"Because someone told it to." Devlin said slowly, realization coming to him.

Chie arrived at the same conclusion. Without another word she placed her lantern on the ground and drew a throwing knife, launching it at the still suspect shrubbery. It impacted center mass, and an orange icon blinked into existence above it. The bush came alive, standing up to reveal a man in a dense ghillie suit. The panther bolted towards them.

A single figure and their pet attacking a group their size made no sense. Devlin turned away from both of them, seeing six more figures to their left, rising out from under rock patterned camo blankets. All but one of them had orange icons. They bore a variety of weapons and armour; a man covered in cobalt blue o-yoroi armour looking the most imposing, until he recognized the girl with the skirt made of throwing daggers and green gambeson from the forest.

"We're under attack!" Chie shouted.

The party that had ambushed them charged forward. Taiki had just stepped off the other end of the bridge when he heard her call. He spun, spotting the battle about to unfold. Taiki drew his sword and quickly started back over.

The girl with the blade-skirt detached two throwing daggers, leading the attack. The first to meet them was Chie. The girl in the green gambeson let loose one dagger at her face, which was deflected by her shield. The second sank deep into her knee, locking the joint. By the time she'd reached her she had another pair of daggers in hand. Once she was close enough, the girl jumped into a dive kick. Her feet met Chie's shield, and she propelled herself off into a backflip, landing in a crouch and slipping forward, under her defenses, slashing at her lower gut.

Reacting quicker than expected, Chie slammed her shield down, clipping her opponent's head. She followed by driving her afflicted knee up into her face. She extracted the dagger and tossed it aside. Before Chie could press the advantage another attacker moved to engage her; a young boy with grey armour and a hand axe. Chie was forced to slowly retreat as she warded off a continuous stream of attacks from both ambushers.

With the first blows struck, the battle began in earnest. The man in the heavy samurai armour skirted around the party and sprinted for the bridge, drawing his odachi. He ran past Amber, who was fighting a man in black leather armour and an iron skull mask. He shoulder checked her on the way past, throwing her off balance and on the defensive from a flurry of quick slashes from her opponent's sabre. The man covered in a ghillie suit had drawn a woodsman's axe with what might have been irony and advanced on Cedric.

With her escort under attack, Brenda took off across the bridge, anxiously trying to get around Taiki. As they neared the edge, the samurai swung his sword down at the ropes. Shockingly, the railings held together. Taiki dropped the glowstone and started running for the edge, thankful that the planks were able to take the weight. He caught a surprised look on the blue samurai's face as the significantly larger man barreled towards him.

Taiki drew a throwing knife as he ran and let it loose. The samurai ducked under it, then raised his sword high and planted his feet. The blade glowed an angry red, and the odachi swung down, cleaving through the rails and smashing through the bridge, severing it entirely. Taiki leapt forward just as the planks dropped out from under him. He wasn't close enough to clear the gap. His arms pin wheeled a moment before his chest slammed into the side of the cliff. His free hand scrabbled over the lip for something to hold onto. Brenda's cry could be heard behind him as she plummeted out of sight.

He was lifting his sword arm, falcata still in hand over the edge when he had to duck down under a swing from the odachi. His feet found unsteady purchase in the cliff side as he ducked his head down. The samurai sneered, stabbing his weapon at his sword hand. Taiki quickly moved it away, nearly falling. His right foot slipped. The samurai lifted a foot to stomp on his other hand. Unable to think of anything better, Taiki sprang upwards, destroying his remaining foothold, and grabbed his attacker by the ankle as the boot came down.

The heavy clad man's eyes shot wide. "_Shit!"_

With nothing else holding him up, Taiki fell back, pulling his attacker down with him. During their descent, Taiki collided with an unseen rock jutting out from the cliff side, throwing him into a wild tumble. He could hear the other man shouting choice words as they plummeted, cut short when he crashed into the ground a split moment before he did.

Taiki landed flat on his stomach, his arms down in front of him. He felt his left arm crumple as it folded beneath him. He slammed into the dirt with a resounding crunch. A long, pained groan escaped his lips as he lay there. After a moment he raised himself onto his right elbow. He'd managed to keep hold of his sword. Taiki pulled his left knee forward, freeing his left arm from under his body, and moved it to push himself up. He fell back onto his face when his arm refused to obey him.

The area around him was dimly lit by the glowstone he'd dropped from the bridge. He lifted himself with his right arm and got up onto his knees, raising his left arm into view. At the midpoint of his forearm, the limb had snapped under his weight on impact, dangling uselessly. He tried to make a fist; the muscles of his forearm bunched, but his fingers only twitched and the dangling half of his forearm spasmed.

_That actually kinda hurts._ He thought. With his health having already been halfway depleted by its cursed status, the fall had dropped his life into the red.

Breathing was likewise proving to be uncomfortable. He inhaled deep, grimacing. By the grinding in his chest he concluded that a couple of his ribs had fractured. He was just turning his head to look for the man he'd dragged down with him when a shadow was cast over him. A slash to his head was narrowly dodged as he ducked away from the blow. Between him and the glowstone was the blue clad samurai. The drop had halved his life points, but his body was otherwise unbroken.

Taiki took to his feet, thankful that his legs still functioned, and quickly gave himself some distance. He heard something slowly dragging, seeing Brenda beside the glowstone, pulling herself across the ground. Her legs were a shattered mess.

"I'm on my way." She said to nobody, crawling towards the wall, as if she intended to climb up and assist her escort topside. The NPC would be of no help.

"Who are you?" Taiki asked of the man, partly hoping to stall for time and partly because he simply wanted to know.

"Eckhardt." He answered. "Not that knowing that'll help you."

"What do you want?" Taiki stepped back. "Why are you attacking us?"

Eckhardt stepped forward. "Probably so we can kill you."

As if that answered everything, he lunged forward, closing the distance and delivering a horizontal slash at his face. Taiki raised his sword to block. The odachi was a thick, weighty weapon, and battered his aside. It swung around into another strike. Taiki's reflexive response was to raise his shield. Instead, a broken arm was brought up. Before he could correct his mistake the curved longsword sliced across his chest.

Taiki tried to make another appeal. "You want money? We just finished a quest worth two hundred thousand."

He retreated a few more steps. "Is that what you're after? We won't have it until we turn it in."

"You talk too much." Eckhardt held his sword in a high guard. "Just shut up and die."

Despite having two feet over his smaller opponent, Taiki was at the disadvantage in nearly every way. His off hand was out of play, his weapon had shorter reach and he had significantly less health than his opponent. Lastly, Eckhardt was clearly very willing to kill him. Taiki came to the unwanted but simple conclusion that whatever happened next, he could not allow that.

Eckhardt advanced, bringing his odachi down in a heavy strike at his head. Taiki raised his falcata to meet it. Instead of blocking it outright, he let the weight of the attack push the head of his sword down and redirected the blow to his left. The blades slid over each other, leaving Eckhardt's weapon low and to his left side. Taiki scraped his sword up along his and delivered a cut that passed through him from his right bicep to left shoulder.

Before the odachi could be raised again, Taiki's sword came around into a thrust that stabbed into him. With no off hand to punch with, he leaned down and head-butted him, driving the top of his forehead into the bridge of his opponent's nose. Eckhardt stepped away to try and put himself into a better range for his longer weapon, but Taiki kept pace, hacking his sword into him.

Eckhardt spun away, switching his sword into a momentary one handed grip to perform a wide, waist high slash that forced Taiki to retreat out of its path. He tried to step forward to renew his attack before the longsword could be repositioned, but Eckhardt struck his off hand out, catching him across the face in a left hook. His hand then grabbed Taiki's wrist, moving his arm and weapon up and out of the way while pulling his odachi back, preparing to impale him.

Before that could happen, Taiki jerked back with his hand, pulling his opponent slightly off balance, and shot his right knee forward into his chest, planting his foot onto his belt. He pushed forward with his left leg, driving all of his weight down onto him, toppling him over and effectively trampling him. They fell to the ground, with Taiki's right knee still on his chest. Eckhardt grunted as the breath was forced from his lungs. Taiki yanked his hand free and made ready to hack down into his face. His foe's eyes widened as the falcata was raised.

He hesitated.

The man pinned beneath him spat into his face, bringing his odachi in to try and stab him in the ribs. Taiki was forced roll to the right off of him to avoid the attack. He came back to his feet as Eckhardt was rolling onto his side, continuing the stab, redirecting it upwards at Taiki's gut. He was able to back away just after the tip punched into him. His health started flashing.

Eckhardt rolled away, returning to his feet just as Taiki surged forward. The larger man let loose a desperate bellow as he went on an all-out offensive. Their blades collided and clashed as he drove his opponent back. Eckhardt was forced on the defensive, not expecting the sudden ferocity in his attacks. He hacked down at his collar, and the shorter man raised his blade to meet it. Their swords clashed, locked together. With two functioning hands and a two handed weapon with which to use them, Eckhardt was able to push back, slowing forcing Taiki's one handed falcata away.

With all his strength, his drove his broken arm forward, punching into his opponent's face with the better half of his forearm. He grimaced from the pain, but the unexpected, unorthodox blow caught Eckhardt off guard. He tried to follow up with an overhead strike at his shoulder, and Eckhardt raised his sword to block it. His angle was off center; instead of meeting the blade, it struck under the crossguard. The falcata then slid along the handle, talking off several of Eckhardt's fingers. The next strike knocked the weapon from his diminished grasp, sending it far off to the side and slightly behind him.

The heavy clad man quickly disengaged, retreating several steps. He drew his knife, then took a moment to look down at it with obvious doubt. It was only an eight centimeter blade. He eyed his odachi; it had landed near the glowstone, catching and reflecting the light.

"Don't." Taiki lowered his sword. "Just…don't do it."

Eckhart's eyes flicked towards his weapon. He slowly repositioned his feet.

"Please." Taiki almost pleaded, taking a step.

Eckhardt's remaining fingers clenched and unclenched as he calculated the distance.

"Don't make me do this!" Taiki shouted.

They heard a cry from above. A shapely woman in tight fit green leather fell between them, landing on her head. There was a sickening crack as her neck snapped, and her scream turned into a choked rattle as she exploded into pixels. Taiki flinched backwards.

Eckhardt threw the knife and bolted for his sword. The projectile tumbled end over end, just barely missing, skimming past Taiki's head. He sprinted after him, his longer legs quickly closing the distance. Taiki stabbed his falcata into the middle of his back at the spine, punching through his chest and sinking it to the hilt. Eckhardt tried to turn, but Taiki let go of his weapon, looping his sword arm around his neck in a sleeper hold. The pommel of his weapon dug into his gut as he held fast the struggling bandit. He could see the man's life bar over his shoulder slowly, steadily draining from the weapon lodged inside of him.

Eckhardt thrashed, trying to toss him off or shove the back of his head into Taiki's face, but he held on, his grip unyielding. The trapped player growled and tried to pry the arm from around his throat, and when that failed, sent his right elbow repeatedly back into Taiki's side. One of his already damaged ribs broke entirely, but his grip only tightened. The only sounds able to escape from Eckhardt's lips were choked gasps. A hand reached back, trying to gouge out his eyes. Taiki managed to catch the man's thumb in his jaws, biting down.

He wasn't aware of how much time passed, but eventually Eckhardt's arms went slack as his struggling ceased. The man's arms went limp and his head lolled forward a moment before his body shattered in his grip, turning to scattering blue shards. Taiki stumbled forward, into the dispersing cloud of what used to be a human being. For a long moment, the only things he could hear were the sound of his breathing, and the rush of blood from his heartbeat.

He picked up his sword, staring at the blade; it was as clean as it ever was. This simple fact dominated his thoughts; that it shouldn't be. He looked around at the sound of dragging, seeing Brenda again. She'd crawled over to the cliff side and was trying to pull herself up with no success. There was nothing else nearby. Only the glowstone and the odachi. The sounds of fighting above him had started to die down, coming to a close soon after.

Taiki went to sheath his sword but the tip missed the entrance, skidding along the side. He didn't notice until he let go of the handle, hearing the weapon clatter to the ground. He looked down at it, confused at how it had gotten there, but not wanting to pick it up. His hand wouldn't stop shaking, and he could feel the sensation spreading to his legs. His mind blank, he walked over to the rock face and sat down, leaning his back against it and letting his head rest in his good palm.

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At the order of the girl in the blade-skirt, the remaining ambushers disengaged, retreating back into the night. They'd killed the man in ghillie suit and the boy with the grey armour and hand axe; both had fallen to Chie. Devlin had just thrown the spear wielding woman into the gorge and had started looking for another target when they'd determined their numbers weren't enough. They watched them retreat, bleeding into the dark.

"Souvenir." He said to himself as he picked up the girl's spear and deposited into his inventory.

Chie looked around the party. "Head count. Everyone sound off!"

"I'm here." Cedric replied, downing a health potion.

"Still alive." Mamoru stated.

"Here." Devlin obliged.

"I can't see Brenda!" Amber shouted, facing where the bridge used to be.

It was almost too dark to see the other side, but Devlin could tell there was nobody there.

"Where's Taiki?" Chie asked, alarmed. She searched around again.

"I see him." Devlin answered. He stood at the edge, looking down. He could make out the two missing members near a glowstone below. "Both of them."

Chie walked over next to him, shouting down. "You okay down there?"

Taiki didn't reply.

Devlin opened his menu and summoned a length of rope and a foot long piton. He tied the rope through the stake and tossed it down after securing the metal spike in the ground. "Be right back; I'll get 'im."

Devlin rappelled down into the gorge, landing a dozen meters from the still sitting Taiki. He walked towards his friend, but the larger man didn't appear to notice him. A glimmer of reflected light drew his attention to the discarded falcata.

"You okay?" He held the weapon up. "You dropped this."

"I didn't want to." Taiki said, almost too quiet to hear.

"Huh?" Devlin slowed his steps, tilting his head at the tone of voice.

"I didn't want to but he made me." Taiki rambled, resting his head on one of his hands. "He made me do it."

"Hey, buddy." Devlin snapped his fingers, and for the first time Taiki looked up. His face was blank, but he could see moisture under his eyes, tinged orange from the glowstone. Devlin stopped and looked around, piecing things together when he spotted the odachi. "Oh."

Devlin added the fallen weapon to his inventory and made sure the falcata was held point down. He spoke in a more commanding tone. "C'mon, we gotta go. Get up."

Taiki started to rise, reaching with his left hand to brace himself. When it failed to comply, he stumbled over. Devlin moved forward to catch him, but Taiki had sunk back down before he could get to him.

"Oh, shit, man." Devlin noticed the ruined arm. He snapped his fingers again. "Hey, how's your health?"

Taiki met his eyes. "Huh?"

"How's your health?" Devlin repeated. He pulled his mask down. "C'mon, you can go into shock later. How. Is. Your health?"

"Won't stop flashing." Taiki sniffed.

"Ok, we're leaving." Devlin poked the falcata into to ground to free up his hands and grasped him by the shoulders. With some effort, he lifted him to his feet. "Hold still."

He took hold of his dangling hand and pulled the limb straight, then pushed it back together in a loose fit. Taiki flinched and winced. Devlin then pulled out a healing crystal with a slightly different colour; the usual peach, tinged with dark green. He held it out and issued the command to activate it. A soft crunch issued from Taiki's limb as the bone was repaired, as well as quieter sounds within his chest as his ribs mended.

"Better?" He asked.

Taiki nodded slightly. "Yeah."

Devlin led him over to the rope. He could see Chie above, peering down at them. Devlin tried to tie the rope around him, but Taiki waved him away.

"Hang on." Without waiting for a reply, he walked over to Brenda, still trying to climb up.

"I'm on my way." She paused, looking up at him. "I may need help."

Taiki bent down, grabbed her by the collar and lifted her up one handed. The NPC made no struggle as she was dragged over to Devlin. "Her first."

Devlin cocked his brow but obliged, looping the rope around her. Once she was secure, he waved up at Chie and the NPC was pulled up. Taiki was silent as he watched the girl ascend. After she disappeared over the lip, the rope was dropped back down a moment later. Devlin picked it up and made to tie it around him.

Taiki took a deep breath. "Need a minute."

He looked around as he remembered something. "I dropped my sword."

"Yeah, I got it." Devlin picked up the weapon and slid it back into the sheath on Taiki's side.

A few moments passed before Taiki said anything else. He sniffed again, wiping his hand across his face. He looked at his wettened palm, then wiped it off on his clothes as he took on an embarrassed expression. The next few seconds were spent rebuilding his composure.

He took another deep breath. "Thanks for coming to get me."

Without waiting for a reply, Taiki turned and took hold of the rope with both hands, pulling himself up. His feet dug into the rock face as he scaled the wall. Topside, everyone else save Chie was arrayed in a half circle, facing away from the gorge, keeping an eye out for any further movement. The party leader extended a hand to him as he reached the lip, pulling him the rest of the way up. Shortly after she extended the same to Devlin as he ascended behind him. His mask was back in place.

Amber had straightened out Brenda's shattered limbs, but apparently didn't own the needed item to repair them. Her limbs would take as much time to mend naturally as if they'd been severed. The NPC was placed inside the semi-circle, behind her escort. Amber gave an appreciative nod to the two of them as they rejoined the group.

Their attackers had vanished from view, leaving the panther. It sat just in sight, slowly prowling around at the edge of their lantern's light.

Chie couldn't help but notice Taiki's demeanor. "You doing alright?"

He gave a shallow nod. "Yeah. Good to go."

She directed a questioning glance at Devlin.

He lightly patted Taiki's back. "He's just a little shell shocked. He'll be fine."

Satisfied for the time being, the party leader looked over the destroyed bridge. "Any idea how long until this respawns?"

"Could be a half hour, could be five." Cedric answered. The time for buildings outside of safe zones to repair and reset could vary wildly between them. "Not sure we want to wait for it. Who knows when they'll be back."

"They won't be attacking from behind us again, not initially." Devlin stated, taking a knee to retrieve his rope and piton and return them to the ether. "They've lost the element of surprise and the advantage of numbers. Even if they bring in more people with a corridor crystal, the only landmarks we've seen around here to teleport to are the vault, Sveltheim and maybe that little grove we passed on the way here. The latter two are both on the other side of this ditch."

Taiki required no explanation on what a corridor crystal was. It was similar to a regular teleport crystal, but had some key differences. While the simpler item would return one player to the nearest town, the corridor crystal could be programmed with a destination. It was restricted in that the destination had to be a named landmark within the owner's map. If someone had filled in their map either through exploration or by purchasing the needed map data, they could use it to warp to any significant location.

The other notable difference was that a corridor crystal could transport multiple people. Once activated, it would open a gateway similar to the archways found in towns, and would last either fifteen minutes, or until closed by the player that had opened it. The finally difference was the price; a single corridor crystal cost well and above what their raid quest was worth, reward and loot sales combined. They were not a common item.

He got up, wiping off his knees. "If anyone else is going to attack us, it'll be from the front as we get closer to town. The others we've seen will probably follow behind us and stab us in the back once things get started."

"What do we do, then?" Amber asked.

"We need to bug out back to town." Devlin answered.

"We're four crystals short." Chie reminded.

Devlin pulled two from his pockets and handed one to Chie. "Make that three. You can pay me back later."

"Message Haruki." Taiki spoke up, turning to Mamoru. "Have her buy some, then we can pull them from your shared inventory."

"Good idea." Devlin nodded.

"She's probably asleep." Mamoru opened his menu and typed out a message. A few minutes passed and he sent another. He'd sent a third without reply when he waved the panel away. "Not waking up."

"Then we send one of us back." Taiki suggested.

They decided on sending Cedric. He was the least capable in a direct conflict, and would be best out of harm's way. Everyone opened their menus to pool the loot they'd gathered from the vault into his inventory, to be sold for the funds needed. Once this was done he pulled out his teleporter and activated it, vanishing into a blue haze.

"And now we wait." Chie stated.

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The town of Sveltheim came into being around him as he took form in the town centre. It was quiet; most players and NPCs were still asleep. Cedric opened his menu, switching to the local map to find his party member. With his heading set, he sprinted towards MakiMori's. The tavern wasn't far, still closed. There was a side door on the right corner of the building that opened directly into a staircase to the second story inn.

He reopened his map, zooming in to the immediate area. He stopped in front of one of the doors and started banging on it. When there was no answer he knocked harder, smacking his open palm into it. The only response was from an angry neighbor shouting from the room behind him. Cedric gave an agitated huff and took a step back. He lifted a foot and kicked the door in the center. He was on the fourth kick when the door finally opened. Cedric almost stumbled forward into a still waking Haruki. She was dressed in a plain, one piece blue-grey nightgown that reached to her ankles.

"What is it?" She rubbed a hand over her eye. "Where's everyone else?"

Cedric quickly summed up the series of events that brought him here. Halfway through she changed into her armour and followed after him. The two left the inn and began searching for anywhere they could purchase the needed crystals. It was still before five o'clock, and every store them came to was yet to open, both NPC and player run alike.

They'd checked all the shops in the town centre and were about to search some of the outer blocks when Cedric caught sight of a lone player across the way, standing in the shadows between two buildings. He was staring at the second storey windows of another nearby shop. He noticed Cedric's unintentional inspection and turned their way. He was dressed in a black longcoat, with a hood pulled up over his head. He extended a hand and beckoned them over.

"You are making a commotion." He said as they approached. His voice was a low rasp. The only part of his face visible within his hood was his chin. "Ah, hello again, Haruki. You are up early. What brings you about?"

She recognized him. "Seeker."

"We need to find an open store." Cedric said quickly.

"Nothing here opens before seven. Most you can find is a place to sleep, perhaps." The hooded man replied. He looked past them to check the windows he'd been staring at. "What is it you seek?"

"Teleport crystals." Cedric answered. "If you have any, would you be willing to sell or trade for them?"

Seeker gave a long, _hmmmm_, which came forth as a rough rumble. "How many do you require? I have six, and two corridors."

"Seriously?" Haruki asked, surprised. She'd never owned more than one at a time.

"Sometimes the things I seek are more than I can carry, and sometimes it is _I_ who is sought." The strange, shadowy figure opened his menu. The soft blue light reflected off the rims of blackened glasses. "I find it is better to be prepared than dead."

Cedric put together an unspoken third reason. If Seeker was gathering people, he would need additional crystals to transport them. A corridor crystal could be used to either move a party or a group of prisoners. He opened his menu to start bartering; shady as he was, he had what they needed.

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Devlin and Chie had crowded around Mamoru on either side, watching his open inventory. A message was received stating they'd met someone willing to trade, and that it shouldn't be much longer. Mamoru gave a sigh of relief, watching his inventory for the expected items. Not needed, Devlin walked up to Taiki's left. He'd taken a spot watching outwards, with Amber to his right. Brenda's legs had reseated, and she, too, had taken watch.

Amber gave a concerned glance up at Taiki. His head steadily, slowly panned back and forth as his eyes darted from one object to another. He hadn't said anything since he'd taken watch. His expression had hardened in thought.

"Thanks." She said. "For getting Brenda."

He gave a shallow nod, but no other acknowledgement.

She looked across him to Devlin. "I think those were the same guys from before."

"Not all, only three." Taiki spoke up. "The panther and its handler, and the girl with the daggers."

"When did _you _see all that?" Devlin asked.

"Before the bridge broke." He answered. He turned back to resume his scan of the area. "They didn't follow us. They were waiting."

"He's right." Devlin concurred. "With ground this open it would be pretty hard to follow us out of sight on the way to the vault, but they knew where we were going."

Mamoru summoned three teleport crystals that had just been deposited by Haruki. Two were passed to Amber and her NPC. Without any delay, the party held their crystals aloft and disappeared as one. Waiting for them at Sveltheim's town centre were Cedric and Haruki. Taiki wasted no time in approaching the latter woman.

"Did you speak to anyone after we left?" He asked

"What, why?" She replied, defensively.

"They knew where we were going and set an ambush." Amber explained. "Nobody's accusing you of anything, but did you mention to anyone where we might be?"

"Just what are you implying?" Haruki glared at the two of them.

"Calm down, Haruki." Chie stepped between them. "Answer the question."

Haruki broke eye contact and thought back. "I got bored and played some poker with a few people. We got to talking, but all I said is that you were on a raid quest."

"Describe them." Chie requested.

Haruki gave a curt summary of the people she'd played cards with at the tavern. She couldn't recall most of their names, but was able to remember some basic physical descriptions. She was describing the fifth when Chie cut her off.

"That one; Sadler." She said. "He was with the group that attacked us."

"I'll _kill_ him." Haruki growled, balling her fists.

"Too late for that." Chie replied. "He didn't make it past me."

Haruki's expression shifted into what might have been respect.

It was just after five o'clock, and the horizon was starting to take on a colour heralding the coming dawn. The party followed Haruki back to the rented rooms in MakiMori's. The rooms were small, with only two beds on the left side and a dresser with a mirror mounted on the wall above it on the right. Each room had a single window on the far wall, above one of the beds. Not knowing when they would be back, Haruki had rented four. It had become almost late enough to be too early to try and sleep, and the party filtered into one of the rooms to further review the day's occurrence.

Chie placed a hand on Taiki's shoulder while they were still in the hall, stopping him. She waited until they were alone to speak.

"A life is not an easy thing to take." Her tone was comforting, almost motherly. "If you ever want to talk, I'll be right here."

"Thanks. I think I'm fine now." He replied with a sigh. "I…I didn't want to. Gave him every chance to stop, but he didn't give me any other option."

"Just remember; you didn't do anything wrong." Chie locked eyes with him. "Try not to beat yourself up over it."

She patted his shoulder. "I need to get in there and help figure out what this all means for us. You take all the time you need."

She turned and entered the room, leaving Taiki standing alone in the hallway. With everything having died down for the moment, his body was reminded of how tired it was. He shuffled over into one of the empty abodes and sat on one of the beds. The reflection he saw in the mirror above the dresser looked worn.

He unsheathed his sword. Nothing about it had changed; it still had the same silver blade, the same crimson filigree and the same dimensions. He closed an eye and inspected the pommel, finding a roman numeral for 'five'. He ran his finger along the flat of the blade, as if he was expecting to find something. A creak in the floorboards brought his attention to Devlin entering.

"It's too clean." He said as he took his cloak off. The garment was folded and placed on the foot of the other bed. "That's what's bothering you, right? Because you know it isn't."

Taiki nodded in the affirmative.

Devlin sat on his bed, opposite him and rested his elbows on his knees. "You look conflicted on something. Feeling guilty?"

"A little. Not really." Taiki let the head of his blade dip down, resting his hand on the pommel with the point poking the floor. "I don't know. I know that if I hadn't done anything I'd be dead. I didn't have a choice, but it still feels wrong."

"You had a choice. You _always_ have a choice." Devlin corrected. "Your options were fight or die, and you chose right."

"It doesn't seem to bother you." Taiki stated. "How do you deal with it?"

"Listen, I'm not too good at this. People, that is." Devlin fidgeted a moment. "Okay, you mind if I relay a little story? How I got here; I didn't really say before."

When Taiki offered no objections, he continued. "I used to run with a guy named Harkonnen. Well, I knew him as Yosuke, but in here he was Harkonnen. He was my friend in the real world. Real wimpy kid from a well off family. I didn't really have any friends, and he didn't either, on account that he was a bit of an asshole. We had a sort of arrangement; I'd beat up anyone that bothered him, and he'd let me enjoy some of the benefits of his wealth. It was…sorta friendship, I guess? I wasn't lonely, and people wouldn't pick at him unless they figured they could deal with me. Win-win."

"He liked to show off the stuff he could buy with his rich family money, really rub it in people's faces, so when I was around I got to eat better food and generally see what the good life could be like. He bought two copies of SAO so he could have someone to brag about it with; I guess he got one of the first copies after the beta. Some stupid limited edition nervegear that was a slightly different colour, or some other bullshit that makes it cost more for no reason. Anyways, that's when things turned to shit."

Devlin gave a sigh. "See, here in the game, he could fend for himself. The more he figured that out, the more his asshollery was pointed my way. There were a few scuffles, but he was still my only friend, so I put up with it. One day, the two of us cleared out some area mini boss. I get last hit, and it gives a rare drop. Harkonnen decided he wanted it."

Devlin scratched at the back of his head. "Some words were exchanged. Then some blows. By the end of it, he's seriously trying to end me. Over some stupid, level five pair of boots. It's almost funny, in retrospect."

Taiki cocked his eyebrow. "Why are you telling me all this?"

"Because you asked how I got here." Devlin fidgeted again, glancing at the mirror. "And now we both know the story behind each other's first kill."

"Oh." Was all Taiki could think to say.

"Like I said, I'm not good at people stuff." Devlin pulled his small whetstone and scrap of cloth from one of his pockets. "But I'm told talking about junk helps. Thought I might give it a shot, myself."

He summoned another set of cloth and stone and reached out to pass them over. Taiki accepted the offered items and looked down at them in his palm. Devlin unsheathed his khopesh, and then starting sliding the whetstone along the length of the blade.

"What happened today, you gotta be prepared for it to happen again." Devlin said, not looking up from his blade. "To answer how I deal with it; when things get bloody, you just need to take a moment and try 'n wash it away. Eventually, you get used to it."

Taiki watched his friend methodically clean his weapon, alternating from the stone and the cloth. He was aware that the small whetstone, as an item, was used for maintaining knives and daggers, and that sword sharpening was best done on a grinding wheel. It did almost nothing to actually affect the weapon type he was using it on. He looked back at his own blade; it was still perfectly clean. A moment later, the only sound in the room was two stones, scraping along steel.

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His eyes shot open when he heard someone say his name. Something was covering him, sliding off as he sat up. A quizzical look was given to a pink and purple blanket now piled beside him. He didn't remember going to sleep; exhaustion must have caught up with him at some point. A cursory inspection of the clock in his HUD revealed it to be just after nine in the morning. It had only been about four hours. Devlin was standing at the foot of the other bed, eating one of the apples he'd taken from Lizbeth's tree.

He'd slept on top of the bed's covers. Taiki started folding the blanket; the colours looked familiar, and he recognized it as Amber's.

"Amber stopped by after you tuckered out." Devlin stated, confirming his thoughts. He finished off the apple's core. "She thought you looked cold."

"Oh." Taiki said, stretching.

He'd slept in his armour, and had lain over his left arm, putting it to a sleep of its own. He flexed the hand as the limb woke with a tingling sensation as the blood he didn't have circulated through it. He gave a curious look above the dresser; Devlin had apparently removed the mirror and placed it against the wall, but he didn't think to ask about it.

"Everyone else went out for a bite to eat." Devlin explained. "You looked like you needed the sleep. Figured your brain could use a reboot."

His stomach growled, and he obliged it by summoning some food from his inventory. "We turn in the job yet?"

"No." Devlin answered. "Midas sent a message saying he wants to meet at the quest NPC. About to head there now."

Something about that fact struck Taiki as odd. "Wait. If the guys that attacked us knew where we were going, but Haruki only told them we were on a raid, they must have gotten information from Midas."

"Good, I don't have to bring you up to speed." Devlin pulled his mask back up. He moved over to the dresser and put the mirror back on the wall mount. "We were talking about it while you were out. Don't forget, while we're all partied up, we show up on each other's maps, so he'd have an easy time of sending someone our way."

Devlin wiped his hands off after adjusting the mirror. "Weird thing is, he's gotta know we're on to him, but he hasn't left the party. Only thing that's changed is where we're settling our accounts."

"You think it's a trap?" He asked, getting up.

"Don't see how; can't hurt us in town. Can't even hold us against our wills too long without guards getting involved." He headed for the door and beckoned at his larger friend. "C'mon."

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They rejoined the rest of the party near the town's guard barracks. There was a bulletin board with quests that brokers either left alone or couldn't monopolize; the latter being a couple very minor fetch quests involving gathering herbs from near and around town that could be done by any number of players at once. There were several people checking the board for any jobs that were available. The NPC they needed to deliver the raided items to was inside, along with Midas.

The combined foyer and common room of the barracks was about twenty meters square, and had about a dozen NPC guards ambling around. The only human player inside was Midas, sat comfortably by one of the windows at a square table with seating for four in the far right corner. He smiled and waved at them, as if nothing was wrong.

"Welcome back. I'm so happy to see you. Surprised, too." He greeted. "I hope you're all well."

"Cut the shit, Midas." Chie spat. "You sold us out."

"You're right. I'm sorry about that." He twiddled his thumbs, adopting a sad, forlorn expression. "Really, I am. I hated doing that."

Midas gave a melodramatic sigh that caused the gold plates on his coat to clatter.

"Who'd you send after us?" Haruki demanded.

"I didn't _send_ anyone. Honest." Midas held a hand to his chest in offence. "Some time after you all left, someone came by and inquired as to your whereabouts."

"And then you sold us out." Chie completed.

"Listen, I don't ever do this to my patrons. I normally give very high value to their safety. After all, if they don't come back I don't get much out of it, either." Midas explained, for the first time looking truly serious. "I'd like to keep this quiet, if we could. You can keep my forty grand cut. I'll even let you keep the ring I asked for and refund your twenty grand purchase price. That's why I haven't left your party or cancelled the quest. If word got out, it would be horrible for business. Let's just agree to put this all behind us."

There was a long silence as the group absorbed his presumptuous words, broken by Devlin. "Now I just want to kill him even more."

Chie nodded to Cedric, who grabbed the attention of the quest NPC and turned in the quest. As promised, Midas summoned his cut and passed it over the table. She scooped up the stacks of coins and placed a palm on the table, leaning forward.

"Broker giving up his cut? They must have paid you well." She scowled. "Now, tell us who you spoke to. I want names."

"I'm sorry, but I simply cannot oblige." Midas replied, miffed. "And I don't much care for your tone."

"Tell us or I'll tear your head off!" Haruki shouted.

"We're in the guard barracks, in town. I'd like to see you try." Midas leaned forward in his seat, resting his elbows on the table top. "I thought I'd try and be nice and apologize, but I can see you're not interested in being civilized."

Listening to this man prattle was becoming more annoying the longer it went on. Taiki felt a heat start in his chest, slowly rising to his head and spreading through his arms. This was the man that nearly got everyone he knew killed. The little man who directly helped cause the battle he'd had to take part in. The longer he thought on it, the angrier he got. He almost didn't hear him and Chie arguing. An idea occurred to him.

"-so I'm sorry, miss, but I am disinclined to acquiesce to your requests." Midas finished.

Taiki stepped forward, lightly brushing Chie out of the way. He stood to his full height, glaring down at the arrogant, loathsome figure laden in gold. He made his voice as deep and as threatening as he could, which sounded better than he was honestly expecting. "Last chance. Talk now, or this gets ugly."

A short, high pitched yip of a laugh escaped from Midas before he caught himself. "Your words would be more effective if they had any weight. I will remind again we are in town. I never go outside, and so long as I remain _in_side, I cannot be harmed and I cannot be threatened. I am _untouchable_."

"Let's test that theory." Taiki turned to his comrades. "Everyone, keep any other players away from us. Otherwise, keep clear."

Without further explanation he lifted a foot and kicked the edge of the table, sending it into Midas' gut and pinning him against the wall. He then leaned over and grabbed him by the hair, slamming his face into the table top and pulling him over and across. Once on their side, he let him go, dropping him to the floor. His gold coat made a sound like someone dropping a sack of coins. Taiki reached down and wrapped his right hand around one of his ankles.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Midas shouted, trying to free himself. "Let me go this instant!"

"Too late." Taiki started towards the door, dragging the struggling broker behind him. "You had your chance."

His party looked on in surprise, but otherwise gave him a berth. Three of the NPC guards turned their way, approaching.

"Cease immediately." One of them commanded.

"Ha!" Midas barked, expecting the town guards to sort this out in short order. He tried to twist and address the NPC. "This man is harassing me!"

_When forcibly holding another player, town guards first issue a verbal warning. _Taiki thought, reviewing what he knew about safe zones and cities. _If I quit now, a warning is all I'll get. Continue, and there is a second warning. Keep going and your icon changes to red and you get escorted to the gates. Failure to comply results in a red icon and the guards attacking. However, I don't _have _an icon._

Taiki kept walking, navigating around the guards. They repeated their warning, but made no movements to intercept him. Midas balked, perplexed at their lack of assistance and continued to shout at them to help. One of the players outside opened the door to look inside at the commotion and moved out of the way as he passed him.

"You mind filling us in?" Chie asked with urgency.

"You heard the man. He's untouchable in town." Taiki kept walking, only slowing when Midas grasped onto the door frame. With a jerk and a tug, he was pulled free.

The town guards issues a third warning, but did nothing more than follow behind them. They kept repeating the same demand, but made no actions on them.

"This is getting really weird." Commented Cedric.

"Well, if you need a path, you got one." Devlin said, moving forward to keep any curious players from interfering.

"Where are you taking me?!" Midas rolled forward, trying to pry Taiki's fingers from around his ankle.

The larger man looked around, finding the road they were on led directly to the outer wall. He started towards it, pulling the quest broker along. "Where we can have a more productive conversation."

Players watched as they passed by, surprised by the spectacle and curious, but nobody made any moves to interfere. Quest brokers were not a well-liked group of people; certainly not worth sticking one's neck out for.

The closer they got to the town's gates, the more frantic Midas became. Once outside, Taiki stopped long enough to grab his cargo by the collar and belt, and lifted him off the ground. A short walk farther and he dropped him bodily, letting him fall flat on his face. His party circled around. The guards had stopped following at the gates, but several players had come along to see what was going on.

"Now." Taiki clapped his hands together, wiping them off on each other. "Talk."

Midas shakily took to his feet, backing away. "You _idiot_!"

"Do you have any _idea_ who you're dealing with? I am not some common player. _I_ am a quest broker." Midas grinned. "Allow me to explain what that means for you. For every quest I sell, I get a share of the rewards. This includes XP, and I am the most prolific broker you will find on the upper levels. Every mission completed by my patrons has not only fed my wealth, but my experience. I am the highest leveled player on this floor, with the budget to afford the very best weapons money can buy! I am beyond you! You cannot frighten me! By challenging me, you are already _dead!"_

Midas waved his hand, opening his menu, he tabbed over to his inventory to summon forth his weapon. A platinum rapier started to take form. "I'll give you one chance to run while you still c-eackghg!"

Midas' rant was interrupted by Taiki's fist flying through his still open menu into his face. His nose collapsed with a sharp crack and he stumbled back, blindly waving his sword. He managed to land two shallow cuts to Cedric by mistake before the bishounen could move out of the way. Midas steadied himself, holding his weapon up. Everyone present glanced above him. He followed their gaze, at his now orange icon.

Taiki drew his falcata, and spoke in a flat, contained tone. "I just want to let you know that whatever happens next is your own fault."

Midas held his rapier point out and charged with a thrust. Taiki sidestepped, batting the weapon away. The broker was slow, unskilled and unpracticed. There was a very real possibility this was the first fight he'd been in since he'd entered his profession. He hadn't even thought to remove his heavy gold plated coat. Every strike was telegraphed and sluggish.

Midas thrust his rapier at his face. Taiki tilted his head out of way and grabbed his wrist with his off hand. He stabbed the tip of his falcata into the ground and punched him in the face. He rotated his opponent's sword arm until the elbow was pointed up. Taiki adjusted his footing, bringing him in line with the joint, then brought his arm up and slammed his elbow down into Midas'. The arm snapped and folded in a direction nature had never intended. The rapier fell from his newly limp grip.

Midas gave a cry and tried to grab at his falcata. The larger man grabbed the hand with his empty sword hand proceeded to punch him in the face again, the broker's smaller hand still wrapped in his own. After repeating the motion two more times he let go, then grabbed him by the collar with both hands and held him while he leaned forward into a heavy head-butt. He could hear his nose break again though his skull. Taiki released him at the moment of impact, letting him fall over, his sword arm still bending in a way that was uncomfortable just to look at.

The previously arrogant man still had quite a bit of health left, but was disarmed on multiple levels. Taiki bent down and picked up his rapier. He tossed it to Devlin to keep it out of the broker's reach. His comrade caught it and immediately attempted to appraise it.

"Fancy. Very nice." Devlin read the name aloud. "'_The Midas Touch_'."

"You can either start talking or I can keep going." Taiki sheathed his own weapon. He loomed over the broken man. "I'm waiting."

"I don't know his name." Midas sputtered out. "Some guy just showed up asking questions. I told him I wasn't interested, but then he started making offers. He got to two hundred fifty grand before I stopped him. That's all I know, honestly! I didn't ask any questions!"

"Ill gotten money." Devlin commented jovially. "I think it'd be the right thing to do to relieve you of that."

"I don't have it on me." Midas coughed. "You think I walk around with a full wallet? I shop on credit. Keep my money in banks, you imbecile."

Taiki looked the man over. "Nice coat you have there."

"Huh?" Midas took on a pleading expression. "Not the coat. Anything else but the coat."

He reached down and took hold of the collar, pulling it off. There was some difficulty in pushing the mangled arm back through the sleeve, but little resistance from the broker.

"Shiny." Devlin commented, as Taiki sent it to the ether.

"So, now what?" Midas asked, getting back to his feet with a measure of effort. "Or have you thought that far ahead?"

Devlin's satisfied smile disappeared. He moved close to Taiki and spoke low. "This guy could be a lot of trouble for us. Rich boy like him could easily pay to have trouble sent our way."

"Hate to say it, but he's right." Cedric added, speaking in a regular volume.

"Pretty sure we shouldn't let him go." Devlin placed a hand on the pommel of his khopesh. "Lot of witnesses, but I doubt anyone would miss this guy."

Taiki looked to Chie. The two locked eyes a moment while he thought of something. "Devlin. How long does it take for a red player to switch back to green?"

"Forty eight hours for stage one. Stage two is one week, then a month." Devlin answered. "Then semi-permanent and life."

Midas was trying to force his right arm back in its place. When the elbow refused to reconnect, he glared at them. With the fight over, his arrogance was making a comeback. "I'll see you regret this."

"I doubt that." Taiki replied. "Part of me wants to kill you, right here and now, but I know I won't have to. Popular guy like you, all alone out here; I don't think we'll be meeting again."

Their business concluded, the party returned to town. They wasted no time in leaving, warping to the twenty third floor on random, not wanting to head home, should anyone manage to follow them there. Safe as they were there, it was best not to have your enemies know where you sleep. Midas was left standing outside Sveltheim, staring at a collection of players that had very good reasons to dislike him.

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The smell of freshly grilled fish still filled the dining area. Outside, one could hear the steady beat of waves against the shore, and gulls flying above the boats lazily swaying in the harbour. After arriving at the capitol of the twenty third floor, they had then warped to the small port town of Hispellum to lay low for a couple days and recuperate. The town was pleasant, though devoid of any fellow players at the time, with a distinctly Italian leaning to its architecture.

One of the first things they'd done after arriving was purchase a standard teleport crystal for each member of their party. This had the unfortunate effect of draining the entirety of the funds they'd gotten from their raid quest, plus some. They'd sold Midas' gold plated coat, only to find that it was instead covered in some particularly convincing pyrite. Thankfully, the sword was worth significantly more, selling for just under three hundred and twenty thousand.

After setting aside the two hundred fifty thousand for Mori, they split up the difference and decided to spend their time here somewhere comfortable. They'd rented a house and purchased some of the better food they could find. Taking the task upon himself, Cedric had prepared a satisfying meal of grilled salmon and stir fried vegetables. A couple of decent bottles of wine had been shared, as well.

Taiki was sitting in an arm chair, staring out the window, watching the birds circle the port, thinking. Twice now they'd been attacked by what must have been the same group. They were safe for the moment, but there was no telling how long that would last once they left. He could hear Chie and Haruki arguing in the next room; the latter of the two was rather bothered by the spectacle he'd made with Midas, or rather, was bothered by how he'd been able to do it. He couldn't blame her there.

_Even the NPC guards didn't know what to make of me._ He thought, idly drumming the fingers of his left hand on the arm rest.

He braced his hands on the ends of either arm rest and stood up, deciding to find Devlin and see about partaking in their daily sparring lessons. Aincrad was not a safe place, and if he expected to see the end of it, he reasoned it would be best to keep improving. He already knew where Haruki and Chie were, still going at it. He'd explained to everyone all that he knew about his lack of icon, but the older woman was still unsatisfied. Mamoru was with them, though not actively participating in the discussion. He passed that closed room quietly.

A peek into one of the bedrooms found Amber, already sleeping. It was only just after two in the afternoon, but the girl had turned in. She was cuddled close to Brenda, who was sitting upright on the bedside. The NPC turned to him as he stood in the doorway, appearing to have accepted her current immobile state as guard dog and heat source. The ocean breeze blew through the open window, and the girl gave a visible shiver.

Taiki walked over to it and pulled the wooden shutters closed. He paused before leaving, opening his menu and retrieving the pink and purple blanket. The cloth was unfolded and laid over top of her, careful not to wake her. He left the room, quietly closing the door on the way out.

Next he checked the room Devlin had laid claim to. There was nobody present. He was about to continue on when he noticed that the room's mirror had been removed from over its dresser and placed in one of the corners, facing the wall.

He came across Cedric in the house's study, sitting in a heavily cushioned chair at the desk against the far wall. His back was to him, and he was staring intently into his open menu. Taiki called out to him, startling him without meaning to. Cedric swiveled the chair around to face him, him menu following, keeping the same relative position.

"Yeah?" He prompted.

"You know where Devlin went?" Taiki inquired.

"I think he went down to the pier." The boy answered. "Said he likes boats."

"Alright." Taiki double tapped his fingers against the study's door frame. "Thanks."

He left to seek out his friend, leaving Cedric once again alone. The boy's attention was returned to the soft blue panel floating before him. Specifically, he was looking at the message he'd written. Now that they knew for certain that someone was after them, it was important that they find out who they were. With a poke of his finger, his PM was sent to Otto, urging him to hurry on his end. More importantly was the question of _why_ someone was after them. There was the possibility the Wayward Pact had gathered an enemy on their own, but it was most likely related to their new members.

_Assuming both of their stories are true, either one could have enemies. _Cedric pondered. _If Devlin really killed four spotters, the rest of their party would no doubt want revenge. As for Taiki, a red hunter could make a lot of enemies. There's no telling how many people might have a grudge against him._

He heard the argument between his commander and Haruki finally die down as the surlier woman managed to eventually ran out of breath and things to say. Cedric listened for the sound of the door opening as closing as the woman and her husband left the room they'd been in. Deciding it was time to bring up his concerns, Cedric waved his menu away, and made his way to Chie to bring this up in private.

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A soft breeze filtered into the small cave. Calling it a cave may have been a bit generous; it more was more an eight meter deep hole in the side of a hill. It might have been some larger animal's burrow, but it was unoccupied when its current sole occupant had found it. Midas slowly paced around the rounded room of the cave. It was a short walk, as the chamber was barely four meters across.

Despite having been surrounded by players that wouldn't mind seeing him dead, none of them had been willing to do the deed themselves. At least, not while everyone else was watching. He'd had the sense to depart before anyone could work up the guts to get it done. Some rather aimless wandering had led him to his current, temporary abode a little to the east of Sveltheim.

Midas grumbled impatiently, not looking forward to the next two days of hiding out here. As someone that never participated in any adventuring, his personal inventory was barren of most useful items. He didn't even carry a light source to illuminate the cave. Thankfully, it was at least light enough inside to see. The only times he carried any more than he had on him at the moment was when he had to venture to new towns to unlock their warp gates, and even then he always hired a group of escorts.

He snacked on a pouch of chocolate covered cherries, waiting for the aforementioned escorts to arrive. He'd messaged them some time ago, stating the urgent need he had for their services. Three had replied, stating they could be there shortly, after they were done with whatever it is that hired muscle does when it's off the clock.

The broker glanced at his HUD; it was almost two thirty, and they'd last messaged him an hour ago. He was considering sending them a higher offer if they could get to him sooner when he heard the soft ping of an incoming message. He obligingly opened his menu and inbox to read the new arrival. It was from Niles, one of the mercenaries he was waiting for.

[Just left Sveltheim. Braunson and Yuu are with me. We'll be at your position in fifteen minutes.]

Midas breathed a sigh of relief, glad he didn't send that offer. His mood improved a bit as he started to feel a little safer. With nothing else to do but continue waiting in the meantime, he summoned a book and sat down. He turned away from the cave entrance, trying to read with what little light made its way in.

Three chapters in and twenty minutes later his book was closed and he returned to pacing. While he didn't much care for the other two, Niles was usually a very punctual sell sword. He opened his menu and tabbed over to his contacts, selected Niles and began typing out a message.

[Where are you? The longer you take to get here, the less I'm paying you.] He looked over his PM, and decided to remove everything after the question. Probably best not to threaten your hired protection.

He pushed the button to send it away, about to close his menu when there was an incoming ping immediately in response. It was an automated system message.

[Error: Message undeliverable: Player "Niles" is offline]

Midas stared at the panel a moment. There was only one way a player could go into an offline status in SAO. He tabbed over to his recent contacts, seeing Braunson and Yuu listed, but no Niles. Midas reached out to select Yuu, but her name blinked and disappeared before his finger could connect. He flinched, not wanting to believe what he was seeing. A few seconds later and Braunson vanished from his contacts as well.

He began wringing his hands nervously, not wanting to accept what he knew this meant; all three of his escorts had just died. Midas eyed the cave mouth, considering making a run for it, but reasoned that he was probably better off hiding. He'd never been very fast. The broker was just short of panicking when the cave grew suddenly darker. At the entrance stood a recognizable figure. Even though he couldn't make out his face, the silhouette of the old man looked none too pleased to see him.

"Inquisitor." He gulped; his throat suddenly dry. "Word reaches you fast."

The old man said nothing.

Midas knew he had no chance in a direct fight, but thought that maybe he could still run. This unlikely chance was dashed as the rest of the old man's crew came into view, further blocking the cave mouth. Four people flanked him, two on either side.

The young woman close by his right side with the matching armour and shashka type sword spoke. "Hello again, Midas."

"Lady Raveno-" He started to stammer.

"You will address me as Interrogator." She snapped, cutting him off.

"The girl likes her titles." The man to the far right quipped. He was casually leaned with his shoulder against the wall of the cave mouth, arms crossed.

Midas bowed, starting to shake. "My apologies, Lady Interrogator. It just doesn't roll off the tongue quite so beautifully as your name. Forgive me for being so forward. Perhaps we could talk this out."

"We've already talked." She declared. "And you were warned."

"Maybe we can make a deal." He quickly suggested. He found himself backing against the far wall of the cave. "Once I get back into town I can offer you as much money as you want, but if you kill me here, all of it will go to waste."

"This one's quite the Chatty Cathy." The leaning man joked again.

For the first time since he arrived, the Inquisitor spoke. "Not for long."

With nothing further to say, the old man drew his hammer, and stepped into the cave.

* * *

Author's Notes: Lot more notes on this one than I was intending.

This is one of the chapters I've been looking forward to writing. I wanted the first real, direct life and death fight to be satisfying, and I'd like to think it came across well enough. I hope someone enjoys it as much as I did contriving it. It always bothers me in fiction when someone ends another person for the first time and is just immediately okay with it. You don't need to worry about Taiki rolling up in a ball and crying while downing a bucket of comfort food, but I felt it should at least affect him, and have some discussion to it.

As for the actual fights, what I like about SAO as a setting is that you can have the participants receive grievous or otherwise fatal injuries, and just keep fighting. I fully intend to take advantage of that.

For teleport crystals, I figure they would need to be expensive, since they pretty much function as an almost universal get-out-of-trouble card. They would need to be prohibitively pricey enough to keep from being overused, but not enough for nobody to have them.

Other than that, more glitch stuff, character stuff and finally a chance to use a Midas Touch joke I've been wanting to make since that character first appeared. With a lot of the build up behind us, things will be making their way towards some more confrontations.

Longer chapter than usual, but if you've managed to read this far, I sincerely hope you'll stick with this long enough to see where it's going. As always, any reviews or feedback is greatly appreciated.


	14. Chapter 12: Perspective in Parallel

Elsewhere and when

The fresh smell of cooking meat and vegetables wafted through the large apartment, intermingling with the sound of a bombastic symphony. The chef idly tapped his foot out of tune with the music issuing forth from his gramophone. He'd never cared much for classical music in the real world, but after more than a year in the fantasy medieval setting of Aincrad, he found it had grown on him. A symphonic tumour that had burrowed its way through his ears and nestled in his brain. Now, he had a collection of such records, despite them and the device used to play them being somewhat anachronistic to the world he now called home. The spatula was raised, lightly waving back and forth like a conductor's baton as his voice haphazardly joined the choir performing_ Dies Irae_.

Smiling, he used the spatula to pick out a piece of roasted duck from the edge of the pan and sampled the morsel with an approving nod. The pan was lifted away from the woodstove, the dish completed. There were some stoves in Aincrad with a more modern, real world look and feel to them, but he'd found he favoured the woodstoves. The smell of burning timber and the sound of the crackling fire made it all feel somehow homier, despite it being even farther from home.

He was a somewhat taller than average man, just a couple inches shy of six feet, with a lean, fit build. His head was bald, sporting a short, pointed beard. His armoured boots clacked against the tiles of the kitchen floor as he carried the pan to the countertop where a cast iron pot waited. The meal was scooped into it and the pan placed into the sink, full of sudsy dishwater. He leaned forward into the steam, taking in the aroma and plucking out another piece of meat. The chef licked at the tips of his fingers as he enjoyed the fruits of his work.

The digits, along with the rest of his hand, were completely encased in tight fitting thin steel plates. Almost his entire body was covered in light armour, snugly fit to his contours like a second skin. It was etched and painted to look like exposed muscle, sinew and bone, giving him the grisly appearance of a man flayed skinless from the neck down. To complete the ensemble, he currently wore a white apron with a large bow tied behind him.

Still humming with his music, Shinjin placed the lid over the pot. With a wave of his hand and a few pokes of his fingers, the container disappeared into his inventory. He swept his hand across the panel, tabbing over to his friends and contacts list and selected his other half. The flayed man glanced over his shoulder at the clock high on the wall to his right, despite the numbers in his HUD being much closer to his gaze. The time was quarter to six, late enough for an early dinner.

[Hope you're hungry.] He typed out. [It's still hot. Might need to let it cool for a moment.]

His finger prodded the send button, and the PM was away. Not long after the reply came.

[You spoil me.] Sent Keiko. [You're going to make the others jealous.]

[They should be.] He smirked as he typed. [I make a damn good cook.]

After the message was sent he thought a moment before starting another. [Any luck out there?]

[We figured if they didn't have any reason to think we were after them they'd go back to their regular routine.] Keiko replied. [Wayward Pact seems to be second wave players, so we're back on the 51st floor. Yarl's cat got a general direction, but we're probably pretty far out.]

Second wave players were those that stayed a bit behind the clearing groups. Whenever a new floor was unlocked, the front line guilds would wrap up their business and move up, forming the first wave into the unexplored lands. As they worked, the second wave followed. They were usually active players that wanted to be near the forefront, but wanted the safety of going on trails already blazed, or didn't want to put in the commitment some of the clearing guilds asked for. With the fifty second floor unlocked around two weeks or so ago, the clearing groups had made their migration upwards. At this point, most players on the fifty first were either second wave players or merchants moving to keep along with them.

[Keep me posted when you find anything.] He sent.

[Will do, love.] Came the reply.

With nothing further to say, he dismissed his menu. He had complete confidence in Keiko, but he still wished he could be there with her. While she was away, his days were less lively, and the nights colder. Shinjin had every intention of joining them once they'd pinpointed their prey, but tracking had never been his strong suit. Keiko seemed to have a growing talent for it, but he knew his skills were in command, and destroying anything that got in their way. Besides, he couldn't leave now; he was expecting a guest.

He looked up at his clock again, the minute hand nearly completing it revolution to the new hour. Shinjin frowned; he'd been told to expect a visit today, but not when. He'd thought about setting up some sort of welcome, but he wasn't about to stand around waiting for some unspecific time. His incoming VIP had been purposefully nebulous as always, so there was no point in asking for any clarification. After washing the dishes and returning them to their cupboards, he exited his apartment into the main building of his little splinter group's home base. Might as well kill some time among his crew.

He strolled down the hall, past the armoury and storage into the common area at the front of the building. To the right of the center of the room were four players partaking in a game of cards. The dealer paused as he approached, each participant turning towards him and giving a respectful nod or greeting. Shinjin surveyed the table; the game looked to be some variant of poker he wasn't familiar with that put some of the cards on the table. He recalled it was named after Texas, wherever that was. By the distribution of metal chips, they hadn't been at it long. The pot was empty, so he determined they must be between hands. Deciding to liven things up a bit, he opened his menu and withdrew a fist sized sack of coins worth a few thousand Col and gave it a casual, underhanded toss into the center of the table.

"Carry on." Without further comment he made his way to the front door and exited onto the porch. He smiled when he heard the game behind him pick up again with enthusiasm.

The main building was a two storey, wide rectangular oak wood structure, with the second floor devoted mostly to sleeping quarters. His apartment was about the size of a house in its own right, connected to the back of the building, making up about a third of the complex's size. Shinjin stepped down from the porch steps, looking up through the hole in the cave's ceiling. His base, The Casket, was situated on an almost hundred meter wide island in the center of a large grotto, hidden away on the twenty third floor. The only entrance and exit was through an opening on the northern shore, wide enough for two people to pass through, and was connected to the island via a stone walkway. The water was pleasantly cool, with the deepest portions around three meters.

It was rather picturesque on a sunny day, with a shaft of light entering through the six meter wide opening in the ceiling. That same hole could also make it rather annoying when it rained, although it was hilarious on the rare occasion that something fell through it. He'd considered trying to set up some sort of pulley or lift to use it as a second entrance, but it was about thirty meters up and he'd never gotten around to it. Too much work.

In front of him was open ground, and to the left was the storage building. It was a small barn where they kept everything they either couldn't fit inside or didn't want to bring in. To his right was a sparring ring composed of a simple circle of cinderblocks. Inside he could see Jorg dueling with a smaller girl, with a couple others forming an audience. There was a loud clash of steel on steel, and she was sent backwards off her feet. Instead of his usual bladed whip, Jorg was wielding a gladius. The stout man almost never used swords, having specialized entirely with his whips. Despite this handicap, Shinjin watched his comrade flatten the girl time and time again. After about fifteen minutes of one sided matches it become too much to bear.

"Ease up, Jorg." Shinjin spoke up. "You keep laying her out and you'll just make her worse."

Jorg made no reply, at least not verbally. He cocked his head a little and gave a dramatic shrug, letting his arms flop back to his sides.

"You're supposed to be evaluating and teaching." Shinjin clarified. He gestured to the girl as she took back to her feet. "Give some pointers or something."

Jorg gave a stolid expression, broken by a short huff like an agitated horse.

Shinjin stepped into the circle. "Out of the way."

He waved his arms, shooing his right hand man out of the ring. Shinjin then turned to his trainee and sized her up. She was the newest addition to his collection of near do wells, although 'acquisition' might have been a more fitting term. A few days ago she'd made the horrible mistake of trying to rob Jorg while he was out hunting for rabbits, having very incorrectly assumed that she was better with a wakazashi then he was with a whip. The bear of a man had then dragged her back and asked, in his own way, what to do with her.

The girl was a red player that had been living in the woods, wandering without any real plan or purpose. She was saved by the fact that she was alone, and had only found them by chance. Shinjin, despite not seeing much talent in the girl, accepted the opportunity to increase his numbers. He gave her a hot meal and the offer of a spot in his party. The flayed man felt it would be somewhat cruel to force the young girl back out on her own, in the middle of nowhere; being a permanent red player made survival a tougher task for those poorly suited for it. He declined to inform her that now that she knew where they were situated and had a general idea of their numbers, he couldn't very well let her leave alive, and that her options were to either join the family or be buried by it.

With a little convincing the waif had accepted his offer, unknowingly avoiding an early grave. As was their custom, she was marked with a tattoo of their guild's emblem. She'd chosen to have it placed on her right shoulder over her deltoid. A common placement, just after the back of the hand. His own mark was on his right palm. Since then she'd proven somewhat skittish, as if she was always just shy of taking panicked flight.

The girl, Umiko, reminded Shinjin somewhat of his niece on the other side, though with the distinction that she looked as though she hadn't seen a ray of sunshine in years and had determined that good hygiene was for other people. She was about five feet tall, standing at a hunched four foot nine, with a thin, frail build. Her black hair hung in limp locks that clung to her head and reached a little past her shoulders. There were dark rings under her eyes like her real body was a foreigner to proper sleep which stood out all the more prominent against her pallid, pale skin that gave the impression that she'd spent most of her life underground in a basement. She was dressed in worn, plain clothes. Her age was probably around twelve or thirteen, but he hadn't cared enough to ask.

Keiko had found her adorable. Behind all the incredibly numerous flaws, she did have a rather cute face. Her habit of wringing her hands when she was nervous wore on his nerves, somewhat, which she was doing presently, looking up at him.

"Stop that." He commanded in a level tone. Umiko shot her hands to her sides and clenched them into fists.

"You're training with _me_ now." Shinjin placed his feet at shoulder width, digging his heels a little into the dirt. "Try and strike me."

She gave him a confused look; he hadn't drawn a weapon. The girl reached hesitantly for her sword.

He tried not to scowl and crossed his arms over his chest. "C'mon, then. Today."

Umiko drew her wakazashi and stepped forward to stab at his sternum. His left hand snapped out in a backhanded slap to the flat of her blade, knocking the weapon away.

He crossed his arms again. "That was awful. Again."

She reset her footing and attacked a second time, slashing at his gut with a simple sword skill. Shinjin leaned forward and scooted his feet back, dodging the strike. Once the failed attack had passed he took a quick step forward, causing her to flinch away from him. He frowned down at her a moment, then slid his right foot farther to the side, widening his stance and bringing himself lower, closer to her height.

"Again."

With his face brought closer down, and being the only part of him that didn't look like mutilated, exposed flesh, she made a horizontal slash at his head. Keeping his balance, he leaned back out of sword's path while bringing his hands up. With his left he grasped the back of her blade near the tip, and with the right he delivered a heavy upwards palm strike to her wrist. His grip beat hers, and the wakazashi slipped from her hand. Still holding her sword by the back of the blade, he swung it around and belted her across the face with the pommel.

Shinjin stood back to his normal height and extended his arm to offer the weapon back to her. "_Again_."

Umiko accepted the weapon and stepped away. Her expression had become much more wary. She took a deep breath and set her feet, raising the short sword into a high guard. Deciding to move first, Shinjin bolted forward a sent a straight kick into her gut, doubling her over and launching her off her feet. After a meter and half of lateral flight she landed on her back and skidded. She hit the bricks at the edge of the ring and flopped into a backwards somersault, ending with her on her stomach.

"How did you _survive_ this long?" Shinjin asked incredulously.

She was too busy coughing and sputtering to reply. One of the others watching gave a mirthful laugh; a long haired man in his early thirties.

"You think this is funny?" Shinjin's head snapped to the man. "You think you could do better against me?"

The underling roughly cleared his throat and straitened his expression. "No. No, sir."

"Eventually you may find yourself relying on this girl." Shinjin lectured. "You can either put her down or make sure she's ready when the time comes."

He turned back to Umiko, still curled up on the ground trying to get some air in her. Shinjin took a few steps up to her and switched modes, taking a knee and helping her up. His voice took on a warm, paternal tone. "C'mon, up you go. You're okay."

He stayed on one knee after she was back on her feet, brushing her off. Her breaths were shallow, the wind still out of her.

"Slow, deep breaths." He demonstrated. "Don't rush it."

On his knee, he was looking slightly up at her. "Now that I've seen what you're doing wrong, we're gonna help you get it _right_."

He placed a hand on her shoulder blade and the other on her chin, straitening her posture. "For starters, don't hunch. You're not in momma's basement playing World of Starcraft, or whatever; you're in Aincrad, with a whole new body. Wear it like one. You get used to standing right and that'll solve a lot of your problems right there. You get that?"

She gave a quick, curt nod in the affirmative.

Shinjin gave his warmest, most fatherly smile. "Good."

He stood back up and crossed over to the other side of the ring. He gestured to Jorg, and took the gladius when he approached. "Okay. When you're ready, attack."

Shinjin took a defensive stance. "We're going to take this step by step, and you're not leaving this ring until you land a hit."

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It was about half an hour later when Shinjin had to cut his training short. The girl had yet to land any strikes on him, but he was drawn away by the ping of an incoming message, slightly louder and with a double tone, signifying it was being sent with urgency. He'd had Oscar, the man who he'd admonished for his laughter, take over, making it his responsibility to get her in fighting shape. He would train her until she managed to hit him. He had Jorg keep an eye on them to make sure it was an honest point and not something Oscar had allowed to land to get out of it.

Shinjin had to admit to himself that keeping the girl was getting close to scraping the bottom of the barrel, but he needed the numbers. He frowned at the thought; apart from himself, the Casket was a home for twenty one of his underlings plus six listeners that would occasionally check in. He'd recently lost Zahnri, then two others shortly after. With Keiko and her party away, that left only him and twelve players on hand. He needed more. If that meant he'd have to train people from scratch, he would.

At present, Umiko would no doubt die in a direct fight, but she'd have her uses. If she wasn't already locked in as a red player, she could have made an acceptable listener. As she was, the girl might make a good distraction. He could make her into a decent scout, maybe train her to rely on hit and runs tactics. Few normal people would be immediately willing to fight and kill a pathetic looking little girl, so she had that on her side, at least.

Focusing on the matter at hand, Shinjin briskly walked back into his apartment and opened his menu to reread the PM. It was from the remaining listener he'd left in Sveltheim; a younger boy named Sadler. His message was simple and straightforward.

[I've spotted the prey.]

A predatory smile formed on his face as he typed the reply. [Is he in town?]

[No, I didn't actually see him.] Came Sadler's reply. [I spotted one of the people in his party. They went on a quest and one of them stayed behind. They got a job from a broker called Midas. Heading there now to see what I can get out of him.]

Shinjin scratched at his chin as he dredged up what he knew of that name.

[He used to supply a lot of jobs to Laughing Coffin and the like back when he was still growing his business. You can probably use that to leverage him.] Shinjin instructed. [If that fails, bribe him.]

Sadler sent back a simple affirmative.

Shinjin opened his menu with his listener as the center point, then zoomed out, searching for his hunting party. He found them about an hour away from Sadler's position. He selected Keiko and starting typing a message flagged as urgent.

[We've got a sighting in Sveltheim. Double time it there and meet up with Sadler. By the time you arrive he should have more information.]

Keiko sent back a simple. [K]

He centered his map on her and zoomed in, seeing the blips representing the party come to a stop, then abruptly take off towards town. Shinjin sent a message to Sadler to expect the hunting party, and to join them once they set out, since his function as a listener had been fulfilled. He then sent a final message to both him and Keiko, instructing them to message each other with updates when applicable.

Once the affirmative replies came, he dismissed his menu. He was excited, but found the timing of everything frustrating. To be there when the battle started was what he wanted, but he was stuck here waiting for the only person in the world who gave him orders. For now. He'd learned what he could about the Wayward Pact in the last few days; they were nothing particularly special, but second wave players usually promised some of the best fights, just after frontliners and the occasional lone wolf. Shinjin ached for a good fight; he wanted to hack his prey apart, and then fight the leader of the Pact head on. He'd originally only been after one man, but now that the other party had gotten involved and killed his people, they were all targets now.

Realizing his fists were clenched, he forced himself to relax and took a long, deep, calming breath. He placed a record on the player, and the sound of a soothing violin began playing. Shinjin walked up to one of the chairs in front of his fireplace and plopped down in it, stewing in his irritation. There was no doubt a very satisfying battle coming soon, and he wouldn't get to see it.

_He's keeping me waiting on purpose._ He thought.

When the music failed to calm him, he slapped his hands on the armrests and stood back up. He summoned his weapon from his menu, and it took form in its bear pelt sheath on his back. Reaching behind him, he drew Grimsever. The sword had been his preferred instrument since he'd taken to his red icon. It was a straight longsword with a single edge. Downwards slanted jagged serrations the size of shark teeth ran along the blade, giving it the appearance of a saw as much as a sword.

With weapon in hand, he made his way back outside. If he couldn't take part in Keiko's fight, he could at least vent his frustrations while sparring with someone.

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Sadler was waiting outside the town gates when they arrived. Keiko and her party had sprinted the entire distance, not wanting to miss any opportunity. Eckhardt had begrudgingly doffed his heavy armour in order to keep up, wearing nothing but his boots and a black bodysuit. Instead of meeting their contact at the gates, they hid among the nearby stony outcroppings and messaged him to come to them.

"Good evening." Sadler waved as he jogged up to them. It was just a little after seven o'clock.

"Which one's in town?" Keiko asked, skipping the pleasantries.

"Woman named 'Haruki'." He replied, then smirked. "Bitter old hag, let me tell you. I think she's their main tank."

"Good; that certainly makes things easier." Odila gracefully hopped down from the boulder she'd been sitting on.

"Where are they now?" Keiko inquired.

"They went south." Yarl answered, scratching behind his panther's ear. "They've got a good lead on us, too."

Sadler cocked his brow. "How'd you know that?"

"Yarl's bitch picked up their trail once we got closer to town." Eckhardt gestured to the cat. He put forth a much less intimidating image without the cobalt o-yoroi armour encasing him.

"She's a queen." Yarl quietly corrected.

"Huh?" Eckhardt grunted.

"A bitch is a dog. Sasha is a cat. Female cats are queens, not bitches," He scratched under his pet's chin affectionately, and the panther reciprocated by purring and rubbing its head against his side, "so, she's my queen."

There was a long moment of awkward silence. Everyone present took a small step away from him.

"Well, congrats, Yarl. You just made that sound _really_ creepy." Eckhardt mocked.

Yarl took on a genuinely confused expression for a moment, then visibly reddened. "You're disgusting!"

Eckhardt gave a hearty laugh. "I wonder, does your 'Queen Sasha' classify as a ridable mount? Saddled or bareback?"

Yarl launched into an explanation that he simply liked cats. He was raised by his grandmother, and the woman had owned eight of them. This was promptly ignored by Eckhardt, still guffawing at his own joke. Sadler, for his part, had just watched the unexpected spectacle unfold quizzically. The laughter came to a close as Keiko let loose a loud and authoritative command to shut up. Eckhardt sniggered to himself a moment longer, but knew better then to push his luck. Once things settled, she turned back to their listener.

"Where were they going?" Keiko asked Sadler impatiently.

"A quest south of here. Tsun-Koh's vault." He answered. "Midas was pretty reluctant, but he was more compliant when I threatened to make his past dealings public. It's a ways out; we'll probably have to catch them on the way back after dark."

"Then let's move." Keiko said with a huff.

At her order, the party marched south. At the slower pace, Eckhardt donned his thick armour in anticipation of the coming conflict, far away though it was. Keiko opened her own menu to send an update to her commander.

[We know where they are. On our way to intercept.] She pause a moment before typing the rest. She knew Shinjin would be disappointed if he missed this, but he was stuck at home presently. [You want us to take them out or keep our distance and track them?]

It was a full minute before Shinjin replied. [We can't pass up this opportunity. Kill them all.]

[Understood, love.] She typed. They'd either leave the one in town alone or deal with her later.

[See you soon.] Shinjin PMed.

As they walked south, Keiko tabbed over to her map, zooming out and surveying the area. They hadn't been this way before, but had purchased basic topographical map data for the entire floor some time ago. They didn't have the names of any landmarks, so she placed a waypoint at the location of Tsun-Koh's vault. Keiko traced her finger along the floating panel, checking for the best path to their destination, and searching for anything that might be useful.

After a couple minutes search she found what she was looking for; a long, deep gorge with a bridge near their path. It was an ideal spot for an ambush. With the right timing, they could use the bridge to split up their prey into a more manageable pair of groups. The ground around it was rather open, however, though the cover of dark would be of some help. Keiko drew up mental plans on how best to accomplish this as the party walked onwards.

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Shinjin held his longsword in a mid-guard, point threateningly forward at his opponent. On the other side of the ring, Jorg rested his hand on his whip handle, ready to draw. The weapon looked deceptively short, wrapped around his iron waistband, but could reach just over three meters when unfurled. Whips were a difficult class of weapon to use, but had the best reach in the game, save for thrown projectiles.

"Ready when you are." Shinjin prompted.

As he was wont to do, Jorg said nothing.

Shinjin feinted a step forward, and Jorg pulled on his whip handle, unwrapping the metal cord from around him. Once free, it swung forward in a wide arc. Shinjin leaned back reflexively, then made to move forward. Before he could make any progress, he was forced back as the whip came around for a second, quicker warding strike. A vertical strike slapped the tip of the whip against the ground at Shinjin's feet as he took a step back.

Stuck at range, a throwing knife would have been useful, but the flayed man never carried any. His only weapons were Grimsever, and the now long obsolete longsword he kept in his inventory from when he was a green player. They were the only ones he'd ever needed. Much better to meet your opponent face to face as fast as possible. Keiko's preference for nothing _but_ throwing daggers had always amused him.

Jorg pulled on his whip, rapidly swinging it round to form a ring in front of him and grabbing it with his left hand. The remainder of the whip loosely wrapped around his off hand. Jorg's whip was a long cord composed of multiple blue steel filaments like hair woven together a quarter centimeter thick, threaded through small, segmented, razor thin blades. At the tip, the filaments met at one three inch long, double sided blade, like a tiny spear head.

Jorg's primary weapon was actually two weapons. On his hands he wore a pair of thick iron gauntlets belonging to the incredibly unpopular and often forgotten family of pugilist weapons. They were intended to be used with unarmed melee skills, but Jorg had found a better use for them.

Armour in Aincrad did not deflect attacks, at least not often. While armour did offer varying amounts of physical resistance to the weapon passing through it, its main purpose was to reduce damage taken from an attack, and to provide resistance to various elements. A weapon, however, could be used to block another weapon. Pugilist gloves were too bulky and cumbersome for most people to try and reliably hold onto another weapon, but Jorg's big, meaty hands made it work.

The other drawback was that the system recognized that he was wielding two primary weapons at once. This disabled Jorg's ability to use system skills with either. So long as he held both weapons, he could only use his own talent. For Jorg, this had been a worthwhile trade-off. With a weapon as potentially chaotic as a blade whip, having gauntlets it couldn't cut through kept him from harming himself more than his opponents.

Shinjin didn't know the names of Jorg's whips or his gauntlets; the mute had never said. The flayed man rushed forward, and the whip snapped out to meet him. He ducked under a horizontal swipe, coming inside the preferred range of the corded weapon. Adapting, Jorg struck his off-hand out, letting the whip again wrap around it. Once half of the length was taken in, he closed his fist, wielding it as a shorter, quicker weapon.

The flayed man batted aside a strike and made a slash at his ribcage. Jorge blocked, using the length of cord connecting his hands. Shinjin pulled his blade back before it could become entangled and struck out again, then again, staying on the offensive. Jorg, the hulking brute that he looked to be, managed to keep up blow for blow, blocking with the cord between his hands while simultaneously striking with the outer half from his off-hand.

Jorg made to strike at his neck, and Shinjin's off arm came up to intercept. The cord rapidly wound around his forearm, stopping when the tip lodged into his wrist. The brute took a long step back, jerking on the whip. The segmented blades dug into Shinjin's arm, unwinding and cutting through. His left forearm came apart from the middle of his forearm down.

Shinjin responded by stabbing his sword into the inside of Jorg's left elbow. He twisted the weapon, forcing the joint around so the point was down, then directed the tip into his ribs, punching through and pinning Jorg's main arm to his body. With a spin and a step, he withdrew the sword and scored a wide slash. He ducked low, following with a stab that plunged Grimsever through Jorg's calf. With a hard tug on his sword, it pulled back through, the teeth biting into the flesh with enough traction to lift the leg and put Jorg off-balance. Before the foot could descend, Shinjin surged forward, hooking the remainder of his off arm under it and lifting it further. He stabbed his sword into his face as the whip raked across his chest. This maneuver ended with Jorg flat on his back, with Shinjin still holding his leg and Grimsever impaled through his head, punching through his nose.

Jorg tapped out; Shinjin withdrew and sheathed his blade with a flourish. The brute-ish man rolled forward and rubbed his face, letting loose a wheezing sneeze. He planted a hand on his knee as he pulled his heavy form back to its feet.

"Good bout." Shinjin said.

Jorg nodded in confirmation.

Shinjin glanced at his HUD; it was almost ten o'clock. They'd been at this longer than he'd thought. Since they'd started, the sun had descended and the cave had dimmed, lit now by a scattering of torches. His body reminded him of his hunger, having not eaten since he'd sampled the dish he cooked for Keiko.

"Lost track of time." He said, looking up at the stars through the hole above them. "You want something to eat?"

Jorg gave a much more enthusiastic nod; he could always eat. Shinjin patted his shoulder with his remaining hand and gestured to their base, heading back towards the entrance. Once inside, he spotted Umiko and Oscar at a small table playing shogi, the girl apparently having made a friend. He led Jorg back into his own apartment and started preparing their now belated dinner. He had the silent figure assist until his arm had respawned, then shooed him away when the help was no longer needed.

It was forty minutes until he was done. If there was one major complaint Shinjin had to make about Aincrad, it would be the food. It was bland and tasteless or outright disgusting if you were cheap. That, and there was the whole being trapped in a death game until your brain was microwaved, but the food was a much more manageable problem. He'd long since accepted his new home, and eventual grave. He would not, however, spend the time until then eating substandard food.

He used the remainder of the roast duck from before in a dish of Thailand styled curry with a side of spiced rice. An appropriate wine was selected from the cabinet. The table was set and the meal enjoyed to the accompaniment of a record containing some of Bach's softer works. Conversation over the course of the meal was decidedly lacking, with Shinjin's mind occupied with his now very late guest, and Jorg far too busy shoveling curry into his face.

Despite having twice the portions, Jorg finished first, leaning back in his seat with a satisfied grin. He had the manners to at least hold a hand over his mouth as he expelled a grotesque belch like someone letting air out of a compressed, wet waterskin.

"Thank you, I'm glad you liked it." Shinjin replied, recognizing the compliment.

Jorg pried a finger nail between his teeth to dislodge a bit of rice, then gave a drawn out, surprisingly wide mouthed yawn. It was just after eleven, and Jorg had always been more of a morning person than a night owl.

"You can go." Shinjin said, getting up to clear the table.

The heavier man nodded in appreciation and loudly scooted his chair back. Without further comment he excused himself from his commander's apartment and exited back into the main building. The flayed man spent longer than needed cleaning the dishes, more using the chore to pass time than anything else. When he was finished with that task, he wandered back into his common room.

Shinjin leaned against his desk and opened his menu to check on his hunting party. The map revealed them to be some distance south of Sveltheim. After a few moments it became apparent that they were stationary. It wasn't hard to figure out why that was, but with nothing else to do he started composing a message.

[Status report.] _No, too clinical._ He deleted and replaced it with [How are things going?]

It was a couple minutes until a reply came. [We've set an ambush. Waiting for them now.]

[What if they jump back to town?] He inquired.

[They won't.] Keiko sent back. [They're on a raid quest, so they're after money.]

Shinjin understood her meaning. Their targets wouldn't be likely to embark on a raid quest for the payout, only to blow most or all of it on teleports. He was about to type up another PM when he received another from her.

[Can't talk. We're laying under some camo sheets, and I had to lift it to give me room to type. It'll be a while, but I'll update you whenever something happens.]

He took the very obvious hint and closed his messaging tab, sliding over to the map. Alone with his thoughts and now waiting for two events, he silently watched the unmoving dot representing his other half. Shinjin had faith in her, that she would be fine, but at the same time hated sending her without him. There were only two things in Aincrad that he truly cared for; himself, and her. It made sense to keep the two together whenever possible. Shinjin strongly suspected that one could no longer exist without the other.

Keiko sent no updates, and the group didn't move. It was shortly after the stroke of midnight that his record reached its end. The symphony drew to a close, replaced by the needle scratching away at nothing. Allowing himself to be pulled away from his vigil, he dismissed his menu and move to his gramophone. Deciding he was tired of music, he switched the device off, leaving his apartment in silence.

Shinjin glanced at a small vase on the table next to his music player. It was a simple little thing about sixteen centimeters tall with a thin body made from blue painted ceramic. It was only large enough around to hold a few flowers. In it was one of the last holdovers from his time as a green player, apart from his old longsword. They were from before he'd accepted the truth of this world; from before his eyes had been opened. The little vase contained three white roses with familiar grey streaks down the center of each petal.

He held a finger under the petals of one of the flowers. The roses were just starting to wilt and die. Shinjin opened his menu and sent a message to one of his listeners, instructing them to stop by the Starting City and pick up a few more when they had the chance. He could never get back into the Room of Resurrection with his permanently red icon, and he doubted the mysterious waif who resided there would ever be willing to see him again. Not since he'd tried to set her free. He lifted one of the roses to his face and breathed in the pleasant, almost nostalgic aroma before tenderly placing it back.

Shinjin knew there was no way he was going to be able to get any sleep while Keiko was on the verge of a battle. Concluding that he was done waiting for his insultingly late guest, he once again left his apartment to do a bit of night hunting. The inside of his base was almost pitch black, with little moonlight making its way down into the grotto. Still, he was familiar enough with the Casket to navigate it blind, let alone in low light.

As he entered the common and headed for the front door, he was given pause by the sound of quiet breathing. Curled up in one of the cushier armchairs by the corner window was Umiko, sleeping. He took another quiet step and the girl stirred.

"Hello?" She asked, looking his way. Her voice was scratchier than he'd expected.

_She has sharp enough senses, at least._ Shinjin thought to himself.

"Haven't you gotten yourself moved into a room yet?" He inquired.

She shook her head. "No."

"You can use Eckhardt and Fiori's while they're away." He stated. "Upstairs, second door on the right. Talk to Jorg tomorrow and he'll figure something out long term."

She stood and started for the stairs when Shinjin spoke again.

"Actually," he started, "I'm going out for a little hunting. Come along."

Umiko yawned in protest.

"We won't be out long." He opened the door and stepped out. "Move it."

He didn't look back, but heard her smaller feet pattering down the steps after him. Once they were about a dozen meters away from the porch, he turned and peered up at the second story, where a small balcony jutted out from the building. On it were the two guild members that had night watch this week. He called up at them to message him if anyone arrived while he was away.

They acknowledged the order, and the flayed man and the child made their way to the edge of the island, across the stone pathway, and out the cavern exit. Outside the Casket was woods composed of scattered fir trees. The needles of the evergreens were a permanent range of oranges and reds. They were spaced out enough that navigation was no issue. Behind them was the entrance into the Casket, sunk into the stone wall of a sheer thirty meter cliff side.

As they walked among the spaced out trees, Umiko wrung her hangs while sneaking furtive glances up at him.

"Stop that." He commanded quietly. "I'm not going to snap and murder you, so stop looking like you're about to freak out and go into fight or flight mode."

"Sorry." She quickly replied, returning her hands to her sides.

They stalked through the woods a minute longer before she asked another question. "What are we hunting?"

"Anything we find, but mostly drebbits." He answered in a low voice. "Ugly things come through here after dark and eat the cones off the trees."

For a long few minutes, the only sound was Shinjin's light steps as Umiko walked silently beside him. The moon was almost directly overhead, bathing the area in faint pale light. He caught sight of Umiko's hands fidgeting over each other and gave a quiet, agitated sigh. Conversation might keep his thoughts from drifting, and keep her calm. The girl having a healthy measure of fear of him would help dissuade her from acting out of turn, but he didn't want her terrified enough to bolt at the first chance or have it affect her judgment. That, and her anxious little habit was grating on his nerves.

"So," He started. Shinjin had never been great with kids, "Jorg caught you all by yourself. What happened to your crew?"

"Didn't have one." She answered simply.

"For how long?" He asked.

"Since always." She replied. Her voice was like preteen bronchitis.

"Well…welcome to _my_ crew." Shinjin had suspected as much. "You ever rob anyone besides Jorg? Successfully, I mean."

"Mhmm." Umiko nodded in the affirmative. Her icon was permanently red, so the girl must have done something to earn it.

"Ever kill anyone?" Shinjin strained his ears to try and hear any nearby animals but found nothing.

"Y-yeah." Umiko said forcefully.

The flayed man abruptly came to a halt and looked down at her. She slowed to a stop and met his eyes curiously.

"There are few things in this world I truly despise, chief among them is lying." His voice took on a harder tone. "You don't know me yet so I'm giving you a pass, but that's the last time you lie to me. Are we clear?"

She gave a quick nod in the affirmative. When Shinjin's eyes continued to bore down into her, she gave a verbal response.

"Good." Satisfied, he resumed their slow walk.

"But, you lie, right?" Umiko asked, quickly finishing the rest of her statement before it could anger him. "I mean, Oscar told me about the party you killed up on the fifty first floor. You told a man you'd set him free, and then killed him."

"His name was Brodrick, and I did exactly what I promised." Shinjin replied, still scanning ahead. "He was bound by this world, and I set him free of it. People should make sure they understand an agreement before they accept it."

She cocked an eyebrow, bright enough to recognize when someone was twisting words into technical truths.

"And if he didn't accept your offer?" She asked.

"Either way, he was already dead." Shinjin shrugged. "I'd have still killed him. It's sort of what I do now."

"Why?" Umiko was confused about one other detail. "You didn't even rob them. I thought you guys were bandits."

They came to a small clearing in the woods. Shinjin came to a stop and held a palm to his side to signal for her to, as well. His head panned back and forth as he searched for any prey.

"We were a little pressed for time, but I'm not interested in money. The raiding is just to keep the others happy." Shinjin explained, taking a knee. "It's all irrelevant in the end."

He turned to look her in the eyes. She was struck by how empty his expression was. The fatherly warmth was gone, as was the cold firmness of command. In its place was a simple, hollow void.

"Kill a mob and its back the moment you turn around. Complete a quest and someone else will be doing it tomorrow. Clear a floor, and there's always another above it. Doesn't matter what you do, it's all just pissing in the wind." Shinjin explained flatly, bereft of any feeling. "There are only two things anyone can do in here with any lasting consequence; you can die, or you can kill. _That_ is the truth of Aincrad."

It was warm out, but Umiko still felt a shiver pass through her. Shinjin stood, turning away from her.

"I've no intention of dying just yet." He glared ahead. "That leaves me only one other action that matters. Before I go out, I plan on being a _very_ consequential person."

It occurred to Umiko that Shinjin might not be a particularly safe person to be with. He glanced back at her, noticing her growing discomfort. His face and voice morphed back into the façade of comforting warmth. "Don't worry. So long as you're part of my crew, you're welcome to live as long as you can."

A drebbit plodded into the clearing from the other side. Without a word Shinjin bolted after it. Before it could react the flayed man tackled it, wrapped his hands around its head and wrenched it around with a grinding snap. The animal burst into pixels not three seconds after it had entered the clearing.

Shinjin had just returned to his feet when he heard the ping of an incoming message. He promptly opened his menu, finding it wasn't from Keiko, but from the night watch back at base. His guest had finally arrived.

_Figures he'd show once I stepped out._ He scowled.

"C'mon." He casually started back towards the Casket, refusing to move briskly. He'd had to wait, now his guest could wait.

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Once back at the Casket, he dismissed Umiko to find Eckhardt's room and get some sleep as they neared the front porch of the main building. Jorg stood at the entrance door, moving aside to let the girl slip past and coming down to meet him. He looked agitated; their guest's arrival had interrupted his sleep, and Jorg loved a good sleep.

Shinjin asked where they were, and Jorg responded by gesturing to his commander's apartment. Eager to finally get this meeting going, Shinjin made his way through his base to the entrance to his chambers. The rest of his party was already roused, waiting in the common room. He'd instructed the watchmen previously to wake Jorg when the time came, and Jorg had gone and woken everyone else. Everyone was armed, but no weapons were drawn.

Standing at the entrance to his apartment were two sentries, one on either side. Both were dressed in identical long red hooded cloaks that completely covered their forms. The only parts of them that were visible were the white skull masks hiding their faces and their hands. Both of them bore their guild's mark on the back of their right hands. They both had a weapon drawn; the one on the right had a forty centimeter dirk, and the other had a twenty centimeter kaiken style knife.

As he stepped up to his door, the one with the dirk sidestepped in front of him and blocked his path. "I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to ask you to stop there."

Shinjin didn't slow. Incredulous anger flashed across his face. "_What?!_"

"The boss said nobody enters until he says so." The guard held his weapon hand out, fist towards him, with his weapon pointed to the side. "And he hasn't said so."

Shinjin only stopped when his chest came into contact with the guard's outstretched hand. The flayed man slowly looked down at the dagger it held, then glared intensely into the man's skull mask.

"This is my house." He explained in a level, flat tone. "And you're going to move."

The cloaked guard did no such thing. Shinjin muttered one word to his friend beside him. "Jorg."

"I'm warning y-" The guard started.

He was interrupted as Shinjin grabbed the man's still outstretched right hand and dagger with his off hand and drove his right palm into the inside of the man's elbow. This had the effect of folding the joint closed, with Shinjin using his left hand to steer the guard's dirk into his own throat. Jorg punched the other guard hard enough to shatter his skull mask. The brute grabbed his target by the shoulders and threw him to the ground, then started to vigorously stomp on his head.

Shinjin let go of the guard's knife hand and shoved him against the door. With his right he punched the pommel of the dirk, driving it deeper through his throat and into the door behind him. He punched it again, solidifying its grip in the wood. He turned to his friend, still stomping away.

"You can stop that now." He chided, reaching under the struggling guard's arm for the door knob. The brute dutifully complied.

The door opened inward, dragging along the failed sentry, choking and rasping as he tried to work the dagger free. As he passed by, Shinjin grabbed the dagger and jerked it free, letting it slip from his grasp to the floor. He grabbed the coughing guard by the collar and roughly threw him after it. No longer impeded, the two of them entered his chambers with only a minor delay. Shinjin closed the door behind them, then took a moment to fully appreciate the sight before him.

In the main chamber of his apartment, at the desk in the middle the room, sat his guest behind his desk, fingers causally steepled together in front of him. Flanking him was three more players with red icons on each side. The six of them wore the same red cloaks and skull masks, with the slight difference of the cloaks being a deeper red, with black trim. The skull masks had glowing red eyes staring back at them. They had no weapons drawn, but there was no telling what might be hidden within the confines of their cloaks, and their arms were all drawn in, out of sight.

The man behind the desk wore a shorter hooded cloak. It was dark grey, almost black, and was fastened shut by three vertically arranged buttons off center to his right. The cloak ended at around the man's mid thighs in tatters. His hood was down, revealing a handsome, exotic complexion with tough, sharp features. His face had the look of someone with a vaguely mixed heritage, with the hint of a European slant to his features, likely Spanish, and a slightly cleft chin. His hair, as dark as his cloak, hung in locks down to his shoulders. On the right side of his face was a thick scar that ran vertically from just above his jawline up to his right temple. He looked to be somewhere in his mid-thirties. Behind all of them, the fireplace burned softly.

"I didn't say you could enter." He stated flatly.

His voice was deep, with just enough gruff to sound perpetually dangerous. It was like the rest of his appearance; worn, but stronger for it.

Shinjin eyed his guild leader. He knew that he was supposed to be riled by him sitting behind his desk as much as the guards baring him outside his own home and his late arrival. It was agitating, but it was so obviously agitating that it was apparent that was the entire point. To compound this, the fact that this was supposed to be annoying made it all the more so.

"You told two people that you knew couldn't stop me to try and stop me, and you fully expected that to do jack shit." Shinjin said with scowl. "Now, if you're done trying to piss me off, what do you want, Poh?"

Poh, the head of Shinjin's guild, the commander of the Laughing Coffin, didn't answer. Instead he looked to Shinjin's companion with a look like he was inspecting someone's pet. "And who the hell are you?"

"He's Jorg." Shinjin replied.

"I didn't ask you, I asked him." Poh growled out in a tone that was supposed to cow him.

"And I answered." Shinjin said with a playful tinge seeping into his voice. "Otherwise we'd be waiting for a very long time; Jorg doesn't speak."

Jorg scratched at his crotch and then waved a greeting with the same hand.

"Don't ask why." Shinjin added. "I don't know; he's never said."

Poh glared at the brute. "Leave us."

Jorg didn't budge.

"I said get out." The guild leader commanded.

Jorg gave a questioning glance to _his_ commander.

Shinjin nudged his head towards the door. "It's okay, you can go. Let the others know everything's alright."

Jorg nodded and gave a huff, the closest he came to a verbal response. He opened the door to leave, and as he was making his way out, feinted a quick step towards the sentries outside, causing them to both flinch. The sound of wheezing, voiceless laughter could be heard as the door closed back shut.

"Not sure how he's gonna do that." Shinjin said before turning back to Poh. "The guy can't read or write anything past numbers."

"Why you do you allow such an oaf by your side?" Poh asked, allowing some of his curiosity through.

"Because whatever I tell him to do, he does." Shinjin stepped further in to the room. "And he does it well…so long as it doesn't take much critical thinking. Now, you're not here to talk about Jorg, so what _are _you here for?"

"Actually, I am, in a manner of speaking." Poh replied, gesturing to one of the two chairs in front of the desk. "Sit down."

Shinjin instead walked over to his gramophone, past the three guards to his left, forcing Poh to twist in his seat to follow him. The flayed man languidly slipped a finger over his stack of records, then, having made his choice, placed the disc onto the player. It was a custom record he'd bought from a player some time ago, with several simple but pleasant pieces. The needle met the spinning record, and a lone cello started playing _The Rains of Castamere_ in a low pitch_._ He never knew what it was from or who had composed it, but the melody felt appropriate.

"I would, but you're in my seat." Shinjin said without looking at him. He moved to his liquor cabinet to the left of his music player and poured himself a small glass of something fragrant and bronze. Once finished putting the stopper back in the bottle, he turned to directly address his guest with his warm voice. "Get you something to drink?"

When it was apparent that Shinjin had no intention of moving anywhere, Poh's guards rearranged themselves around Poh, still with three on either side, facing him. Poh was forced to scoot away from the desk to turn the seat ninety degrees to face him properly.

"No?" Shinjin asked when Poh didn't answer. He shrugged and leaned against the cabinet, nursing his beverage. "Suit yourself. What quarrels do you have with Jorg?"

"I don't know him." Poh answered. "In fact, there are a lot of faces here I don't know."

"That's 'cause you hardly ever visit." Shinjin interjected with a smile.

"I placed you in charge of six people." Poh continued, in a voice like someone that had just returned home to find their dog had smeared its feces on the floor. "I heard you lost one, but I come here to see that instead of being short a man, you have a surplus."

"We're a growing family." Shinjin quipped.

"I never gave you authorization to gather new recruits." Poh growled.

"This is true." Shinjin admitted, unbothered. "I got tired of waiting. Is that all this is about?"

Poh's brow furrowed. "I gave you this command to extend the reach of our guild, but you've been ignoring my orders."

"I have not." Shinjin replied in an offended tone.

"Griselda." Poh clarified. "We almost lost the job when you failed to take care of it. I had to step in personally"

"I didn't fail, we've just been too busy." Shinjin said defensively. "And I didn't ignore it; I told you then that my schedule was full."

"You're supposed to eliminate targets I designate," Poh started, raising his voice slightly, "not spend months aimlessly hunting for some runaway recruit!"

Shinjin frowned at this information, which did not escape Poh's attention.

"You think that because you've started growing you own little intelligence network that I'm completely ignorant?" Poh scoffed. "When you stopped using mine, I had to know why."

"Well." Shinjin downed the rest of his drink. "Then you know why I can't let him go. Joining my family is a lifetime commitment; once you're in the Coffin, you don't leave it. The bastard killed his recruiter and took off."

Shinjin tapped his finger against the empty glass as he looked down through it. "Sent a party of five after him. Five people I didn't get back."

"I don't care." Poh said dismissively.

"We've lost nine people on this." Shinjin blinked in surprise at his superior's statement. "I can't let him live with so much of our blood on his hands."

"_I've_ lost _one_ person." Poh countered. "Wasted by you. However many lives you've squandered is immaterial; they should not have been in Laughing Coffin to begin with. If they all died hunting one man, they were weak, and had no place here."

Shinjin swirled the last droplets in his empty glass, weighing his next words. He stood to his full height and squared his shoulders, looking Poh in the eyes.

_You speak to me of weakness._ He thought. _And you come here surrounded by guards._

"I can't stop now." Shinjin said sincerely. A log in the fireplace cracked and popped. "I've invested too much. I won't let it all be for nothing. Please, let me have a little more time to pursue this, and then we can straighten stuff out between us."

He eyed the seven people in front of him, planning the first six moves and counters if it looked like things might come to a fight. Poh gestured to the chairs in front of the desk. Shinjin took a moment, but dipped his head and headed over to one. He sat down, sinking into the cushion.

With some semblance of a pecking order restored, Poh took on a slightly more conversational tone. "So, I hear you go by 'Butch' now."

"Yeah, no." Shinjin replied. "It didn't really work out. I guess basing a nickname of a nickname wasn't the best idea. Shinjin is fine."

Shinjin had been expecting Poh to complain about the enormous amount of money Zahnri had wasted on his paralytic poisons. Money he'd taken from both Shinjin's stock and the main guild's hoard. For the price of a palace the tracker had coated six daggers, then went off and died. Then again, he'd been Poh's man.

Poh leaned back in his seat, thinking. "You're a good fighter, Shinjin, and a valuable asset, when you fall in line and follow orders. I can see now it's been my own mistakes that have brought us to this point."

Shinjin cocked his eyebrows, unsure of where Poh was going with this.

The commander of the Laughing Coffin waved to his guards, and all six took a step back and allowed their postures to relax somewhat. "If I allow you to pursue this to its completion, I have your assurance that you'll stop your bull headed posturing and do as I say?"

Without hesitation, Shinjin replied. "I promise you, I'll take my place in the fold without complaint."

Poh gave a quick nod and stood, satisfied with the answer. "Good. Until then, I'm reclaiming any Laughing Coffin members I've placed under you."

Shinjin blinked. "What?"

"You want your hunt for vengeance, fine, I won't deny anyone that if I don't have to, but you won't be losing any more of my men on it." Poh explained. "Once you've killed whoever it is you're after, I'll return and evaluate any remaining members that you've recruited to see if they're fit to be in our guild. If they live, they will then be reassigned elsewhere."

Shinjin was still surprised. "Reassigned?"

"I'm relieving you of your command." Poh started to slowly make his way from around the desk. He stopped long enough to push the needle of the record, cutting the music short. "You can spend the lives of the people you've gathered, but after your hunt they'll either be dead, or they'll be _my_ people. _You_ will return with me, and be given a position more suiting your talents."

Shinjin's hands clenched around the glass and arm rest. "And the Casket? I built this place."

"It will be given to someone else." Poh stepped up to Shinjin's side, glaring down at him. "I'm aware of your reputation for honesty, so I'll ask again; will you, as you said, 'take your proper place in the fold?'"

Shinjin forced himself to relax. "Absolutely."

"In that case, I've something you might be interested in." Poh reached a hand into his cloak and pulled out two items; a dagger and a folder letter. He placed both on the desk. "If you'd been better behaved, you might have gotten these sooner."

Shinjin looked questioningly at the items and Poh.

"We're done here." Without waiting for any further reply, Poh curtly left the room, followed by his entourage.

Alone, Shinjin was left to stare at the items left behind. He stood and picked up the dagger, immediately recognizing it. He placed it down and opened the letter; the only thing written was a name. These were exactly what he needed, but he knew they were supposed to keep him busy until Poh made his next move. Shinjin flexed his forearm, and the glass shattered in his grip. His fist closed, grinding the shards further before they ceased to exist. Obvious as it was, he couldn't pass it up. His thoughts were interrupted by a soft knock at the door. He ignored it for a moment, walking around his desk to stand in front of his fireplace. Shinjin looked up at the crimson spear on the mantel above him.

_Maybe it's time for a new trophy. A cleaver, perhaps._

"Enter." He replied, turning towards the door as he heard a second knock.

It opened slowly to reveal Jorg. He had a concerned expression that was out of place on his thuggish features. He sniffed and cocked his head, his way of questioning.

"Are they gone?" Shinjin asked.

Jorg nodded in the affirmative.

"Go fetch everyone left and bring them here." Shinjin ordered, turning back to his mantel and trophy. "We have much to discuss, and plans to make."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

There was little room in the confines under the camo blanket. Keiko lay prone on her stomach, staring through the holes in the front of the mesh. The ground beneath her was cold and uncomfortable. Space was cramped, and she'd been forced to doff her cloak. To her left lay Fiori, staring ahead through his iron skull mask. To her right was Eckhardt, trying not to doze off again. Flanking them on either side were two more blankets concealing the rest of their party, save for Ent, and Yarl's cat. They were situated on an already uneven portion of rock to the right of a fragile looking bridge that they and their prey had crossed. The only thing to do now was wait for their return.

Ent had taken a position across from them, using his dense ghillie suit to try and blend in next to a bush. Keiko had thought it was a stupid idea, but peering through the waning light from the descending moon, she had to admit to herself that he looked the part, so long as nobody got too close. Yarl's panther was prowling around somewhere out of sight, serving as their early warning system for when their targets drew near.

They'd been like this for far longer than she'd expected. It was almost four in the morning, and she was finding it increasingly difficult to stay alert. Keiko resisted the urge to stretch, for fear of ruining their cover. Finally, she heard the double ping of an incoming urgent PM, followed shortly by normal PM; Yarl's signal that Sasha had spotted the party.

_About damned time._

Sure enough, after a few minutes she saw faint light given by approaching lanterns. That alone told her they weren't expecting trouble. They stopped at the bridge, and they were in range for their icons and health bars to become visible to her.

Keiko smirked, seeing portions of their HP emptied by a cursed status. _So much the better._

She knew it didn't matter, but she forced her breathing to remain slow and steady as she watched and waited. Keiko only hoped that a stiff breeze didn't ruin the illusion crafted from their stone patterned camo mesh. None of the party looked their way, unaware of what was about to transpire.

The NPC girl was sent across first without hesitation at the order of her handler. The second appeared more reluctant; a towering figure standing above everyone else at seven feet. Keiko took him for their other tank. A tank with half his health currently taken by curse. He was almost to the other end of the bridge when she felt a breeze blow across their hiding space. If their façade rippled, none of them noticed it. Instead, their leader pointed her lantern behind their party, one of them having spotted Sasha. Their prey started to draw their weapons, and Keiko was about to give the signal to attack when Chie suddenly placed her lantern on the ground and launched a throwing knife at Ent.

His disguise compromised, the former bush stood up. Having been discovered, Keiko swept the mesh off of her team and rose, her party following after. With a word, she sent Eckhardt after the bridge with the intention of isolating the two that had crossed it. They advanced with no battle cries or shouts, silently sprinting forward with the simple intention of wiping out all their targets.

Keiko drew a pair of daggers from her sides and set a course for Chie; it seemed appropriate for the head of one party to kill the other. Her armour was certainly the most impressive. The brown haired woman was clad in half plate armour, coloured rich ivory, with bright silver trim. Even in the low light offered by the lanterns and moon, it gleamed. In the waning night, she stood as the knight in shining armour. Her broadsword was almost large enough to require two hands to use, with a simple, straightforward design. In her other hand was her heater shield, a generously sized mass of steel, barren of any emblem or markings.

The older woman turned to face her and held her heater shield ready, broadsword in a low guard. As she neared her opponent, Keiko let loose her first blade at her face, a feint to get her to raise her shield and block her vision. The second was thrown into her leading knee. By the time she'd closed the distance, she'd already drawn another pair of daggers. She leapt into a dive kick. Her feet planted against her shield, and she sprang back, performing a graceful backflip and landing in a low crouch.

The maneuver was supposed to topple or stagger the woman. Chie hadn't budged in the slightest. Pressing the attack, Keiko slipped forward, slashing at her exposed lower gut. Moving far faster than she'd expected, Chie swung her shield down, clipping the bottom tip against her crown. The knee with the dagger lodged in it was then brought up into her face. The knightly woman took advantage of the opening to pull the dagger from her knee and tossed it away.

The rest of Keiko's party ran past them, after their own targets, with Sadler deciding to assist her with Chie. The boy hacked his hand axe away at her, unaware or uncaring of the distinct disadvantage he was at, with his shorter reaching weapon fighting someone with sword and shield. Despite this, Chie was pushed back, warding off his attacks while hesitating to make any of her own.

Keiko heard the sound of crumbling planks, and saw the larger figure and the NPC drop with the bridge, only for Eckhardt to somehow get pulled down after them. This left both parties minus their tanks. Keiko did a quick sweep of the ensuing battle. Yarl and his cat had teamed up on the chunkier bald man with the katana, Fiori was slashing his sabre away at the girl in amber, Ent was trying to close range to better use his woodsman's axe against the pretty boy with the spetum spear, and Odila had sought out Devlin. Eckhardt, the giant and the NPC appeared to have been removed from the equation.

After several of his attacks were blocked or batted away. Sadler finally managed to score a hit, sinking his hand axe into Chie's ribs in a horizontal chop. Keiko rejoined the fray, launching a dagger into her leading thigh while her attention was still on the younger boy. Having determined that she was finished allowing herself to only defend herself, Chie gave a war cry that sounded more resigned than angry and swung her sword in a wide arc to give herself some room. The woman swept her shield down to scrape the dagger out and squared her feet, facing her two attackers with a determined expression. Chie closed her eyes and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. She nodded, and raised her sword into a high guard, letting her shield arm rest low at her hip.

Sadler took a spot at Keiko's left during the brief break. She nodded to the side, and the two spread out to flank her. Sadler charged first. Chie set her feet and lunged forward, bringing her shield up in a punch that jabbed its edge into Sadler's chest that sent him reeling back. She then twisted her torso left, swinging her shield to batter aside Keiko's attack and leave her open for a heavy slash from her broadsword that cleaved through her. Chie let the momentum continue, letting her shield continue its path behind her, with her sword down and to her left. Her feet re-positioned and she activated a charging dash skill point blank at Keiko.

Her shoulder drove into her as she blinked forward five meters like ivory lightning. Keiko was launched like a ragdoll off of her as she came to an immediate stop. Sadler ran after them, attacking from behind with a simple overhead chop. Without looking, Chie raised her sword hand, rotating her wrist to block behind her as she spun to face him. With her blade still behind her, it was cocked for a savage downwards blow that sliced through the boy brains to balls.

She closed the distance, bringing her shield into an uppercut that caught him under the chin and lifted him to his toes. Enraged, Keiko let loose her throwing daggers into her back. Chie spun around to the more dangerous opponent and shot her right foot behind her in a kick to Sadler's gut that doubled him over. She snapped her right knee up in a feint, causing Keiko to pause, then kicked it back again as she rocketed her shield arm forward in a cobra punch that floored the girl.

Keiko flowed with it into a backwards somersault and threw another pair of daggers as she came to her feet. One found its mark. She let loose another pair, then another. Chie advanced as Keiko retreated, fighting through the stream of daggers, a third of them finding their mark. Footsteps alerted her to Sadler attacking from behind again. Chie swung her sword in a horizontal arc as she did a half turn. He'd already ducked low, hooking his hand axe into her knee in a reverse grip. He stood, pulling it up, and lifted her leg.

Seeing her off balance, Keiko charged forward and pounced on her like a cat, sinking her daggers down into either shoulder. She braced herself on her daggers, wrapped her legs around Chie's chest under her armpits and hooked her ankles around each other. Secured, she started repeatedly stabbing at her face with both weapons. Chie staggered under the weight but kept her footing, she tried to bring her blade in to strike at the girl latched onto her, but Sadler grabbed onto her sword arm.

Chie did the only thing she could. She rolled forward on her feet, up onto her toes, and pitched forward into a headfirst dive. This had the effect of taking all three of them to the ground, with Keiko's back against the stone and Chie's head driving into her gut. Feeling the grip around her weaken, Chie followed up by rolling forward in a somersault, flopping onto her back, with Keiko's head under her at the middle of her back. She jerked her sword arm free of Sadler's grasp as she took back to her feet. He was still rising to one knee as she raised her broadsword and switch to a reverse grip. With a shout that was equal parts anger and sadness, the point was plunged downwards.

Sadler had just enough time to look up at the descending sword. The tip entered his left eye socket at a slight angle, stabbed down through his skull into his neck and abdomen, and protruded from his ribs under his right arm towards the ground until the crossguard met his face. Instead of pulling the weapon free, Chie forced the handle to the side, levering the blade with his head as the fulcrum. Her broadsword rotated counter clockwise, wrenching through his torso and emptying his health bar. With of burst of pixels, Chie's weapon was again free.

She paused a moment as the azure shards dispersed. Chie turned to face Keiko, and with a flourish, scrapped her shield and broadsword down over herself, dislodging the majority of the throwing daggers still lodged into her. Keiko sized her up with newfound caution. Chie let go of her shield, resting it against her shins for a brief moment as the two women each downed a health potion. Behind her, she could hear the rest of her party in their own struggles, but Cedric's voice caught her ear.

Chie looked back towards the rest of her group, spotting him on the retreat from Ent, who had closed distance too close for him to effectively use his spear. He was wielding his weapon as a quarterstaff, trying to defend himself from a barrage of axe swings with mixed results.

_Don't you ignore me!_ Keiko scowled and charged her distracted opponent.

Chie readied herself, taking a defensive stance behind her shield. Keiko activated her own dash skill, flashing forward. Instead of heading straight at Chie, she aimed off center, passing her up and stopping a half a meter behind her to the right. The older woman repositioned, but Keiko was faster, slashing at her side as she came around. She dodged away from a shield bash and ducked under a middle strike from the broadsword as she advanced again, landing a quick stab. Chie's return swing connected, but rebounded off the daggers still left hanging around her waist.

Keiko kept circling around her as she attacked, seeking any opening she could exploit. Chie was forced to try and hide behind her shield and stab her sword out over it. So long as she was free to move and didn't have to worry about a third person in the mix, the girl was too fast. Chie's shield was able to catch and deflect most strikes, but left her too slow to counter attack the quicker girl. The daggers didn't do much damage per hit, but were rapidly accumulating. Every time she landed a strike, she would either duck away from the counter or retreat out of range.

Chie let go of her shield's handle, grabbing it by the edge, and threw it like a discus. Keiko flinched, surprised by the sudden ranged attack, and the improvised projectile struck her straight in the gut. Chie surged forward and grabbed her by the collar, holding her at arm's length. Her broadsword was brought around and stabbed out, impaling her on half the blade's length. She was delivering another thrust when Keiko jammed both of her daggers into the joint of Chie's elbow. The daggers were forced in opposite directions, threatening to destroy the joint.

Chie reacted by withdrawing her off arm while stepping back with the corresponding leg, letting go mid-pull. Her broadsword was brought around and down in a chop that cleaved through both of Keiko's still extended wrists. The girl's left hand remained, but her main hand was severed, crumbling away into nothing as the dagger it held fell to the ground. Chie then advanced her foot forward again, folding her off arm shut and driving her elbow into her opponent's face. The blow connected with a solid crack, sending the girl reeling.

Chie twisted her shoulders left, delivering a return blow with the same arm in the form of a heavy backhand that collapsed Keiko's cheekbone. Already off balance, the return swing had the girl becoming yet again acquainted with the dirt.

Instead of pressing the advantage and finishing her off, the ivory armoured woman quickly moved to retrieve her shield, attaching it to her back while Keiko was still getting up to one knee. The fight all but won, she allowed herself to check her party, seeing Cedric's spear split at the shaft's mid-point under a chop from Ent's axe.

Without hesitation, Chie disengaged from Keiko and sprinted back towards her guild mate. With all his focus on Cedric, the ghillie-clad figure was completely blindsided. Chie switched to a two handed grip, delivering a flurry of strikes, each finding their mark on their flanked target. In short order, his health was depleted and his life ended.

Keiko took the chance to look over her party as well, finding them faring almost universally poorly. The portly man had both Yarl and Sasha deep in the yellow, with only minor damage to himself, while the amber clad woman was nearly evenly matched with Fiori. Eckhardt was still nowhere to be seen and was likely lost. She called out the order to retreat just after Devlin wrapped his off arm around Odila in a grapple and tossed her over the edge of the gorge.

With their tails angrily between their legs, they disappeared back into the night. Not long after, their prey teleported back to town safely with no casualties. They'd even recovered the ones that had fallen with the bridge. Once it was clear that they had soundly lost their battle and sight of the targets, Keiko opened her menu to report in.

She hesitantly typed out a few messages before deleting them and sending a simple. [We lost them.]

The reply was almost immediate. [I was watching. Are you okay?]

[We lost a few of us.] She sent, knowing that Shinjin could already see if they were missing from his contacts list or map. [Then they teleported away.]

[Are you okay?] Shinjin repeated.

Typing with just her left hand was proving awkward. [I'm fine. What do you want us to do next?]

[Return to the Casket.] Shinjin ordered.

Keiko wasn't expecting that. [But we'll lose them.]

[You already have.] Came his reply. [Return. Use a corridor crystal. Putting it in our inventory.]

Keiko knew arguing was pointless, and tabbed over to her shared inventory and summoned the item. It was already programmed with the Casket as its destination. Keiko uttered the word to activate it, and gave it a soft underhanded toss. While in the air, it exploded into pixels at chest height, leaving a suspended thimble sized spark. With a pop of displaced air, theswirling miasma of a portal took form around it, with the same size and dimension as any town teleporter, minus the archway.

Keiko was the first to step through. After a brief sensation on nauseatingly fast movement, the grotto she called home took shape around her. She'd been deposited near the front porch of the main building, and before she could even take an account of her surroundings her vision was filled by what looked like a skinless torso as a pair of arms wrapped around her. Keiko untangled herself from the hug as the rest of their party materialized around them, somewhat embarrassed.

"I'm sorry." She started. "We lost Odila, Eckhardt, Ent and Sadler. No losses on their end."

"I should have been there." Shinjin said with a scowl.

"Next time." Keiko asked.

Shinjin nodded. "Next time."

The surviving members of the hunting party were dismissed to filter away to their respective rooms while Keiko followed Shinjin back to their shared quarters. He prepared a light snack for the two of them while she filled him in on everything that had taken place. While they ate, he informed her of Poh's visit and its repercussions.

Keiko pushed away her empty plate and stretched out her limbs in her chair.

"So, we're letting these guys go?" Keiko asked, referring to the Wayward Pact.

"No." Shinjin gathered up their dishes and deposited them into the kitchen. "We probably have one more shot before we have to worry about Poh."

"But you called us back." Keiko countered. "And who knows where they might have warped off to. What are you going to do about Poh? About the Casket? You're not going to let him do this to us, are you?"

"Let me worry about that. Events are already in motion." Shinjin said simply and headed into the bedroom. "Now, let us retire. I don't know about you, but I'm exhausted."

Keiko was too tired to debate or question, and trailed after him, unceremoniously dropping garments along the way. What was left of her blade skirt clattered to the floor as she unfastened it and let it slip from around her hips, followed by the gambeson.

"I would have figured you might have already turned in by now." She said, unbuttoning her shirt.

"Not without you." Shinjin said from within the room.

By the time she reached their room she was left in her under garments. Shinjin had likewise removed his armour, wearing nothing underneath. Save for the organ currently missing due to his active ethics setting, every inch of his body that was normally concealed under his armour was tattooed in the same style of muscle and tendon. He was like a living anatomical model of the human muscular system.

Keiko took her spot under the covers and Shinjin snuggled close behind her, wrapping her in his arms. She was almost asleep when he spoke again.

"Y'know." He started. "I used to be afraid of him."

"Hmm?" Keiko hummed back.

"Before all this, when I was still a mercenary." He explained. "Even before Laughing Coffin had a name anyone knew of, there were tales of the peerless murderer called 'Poh'."

Keiko nestled her head into her pillow, drifting off.

"When I was on a job, the thought of crossing him worried me more than any mob we might find. Like he was some sort of monster." Shinjin continued. "But then I learned the Truth and became what I am. I met Poh, was hired by Poh, and with my eyes opened I saw there was nothing to be afraid of. He's just another man. One among ten thousand."

For a long moment, the only sound in the room was Keiko's soft breathing and the steady ticking of a bedside clock.

Shinjin hugged Keiko closer. "I'm going to kill that man."

* * *

Author's Notes:

Longer chapter than originally intended. For this one, we take a step sideways to view things from another angle. I intend to do a 'villain episode' every once in a while to flesh them out a bit more than simply showing them clashing with the protagonists.

I chose to have this take place concurrently with the last chapter to allow me to show the other side of the fight at the bridge, since Taiki's perspective of the event was rather limited. I also wanted to have a bigger fight scene with Chie. I see her as the Wayward Pact's sort of badass team mom, much to Haruki's chagrin, and I hope her two on one fight was enjoyable. At least more so than simply telling you that she took on three people in a few lines of text from last chapter.

With our closer look at Shinjin and his team, we return next entry to our usual characters.

Also, minor retcon, but in a previous chapter I mentioned that there were no mounts in Aincrad simply because I didn't remember any in the show, but in the episodes where Kirito goes CSI: Aincrad with the Griselda murder, I noticed he did briefly ride a horse. My mistake.

As always, thanks for reading.


	15. Chapter 13: Friction

The port town of Hispellum was constructed of mostly sandy brown brick, situated in one of the far corners of the twenty third floor. It was a smaller town, with the majority of the buildings being a single storey. The only thing that was any taller was a two storey domed structure that served as the seat of the local NPC government and the town's quest hub. It was just an unimportant, out of the way village. As far as ports went, almost all of the ships were local fishing boats. The others were a few small transports that offered to carry players between a couple other towns farther up and down the coastline, long since rendered obsolete by the teleport gates players could unlock once they'd gotten there, and long since pointless since there were no longer players in the area to offer their services to.

They'd been here for the past week, lying low and letting their trail cool off as they pondered what they should do next. The longer they stayed, the more Taiki wanted to leave. With no other players in Hispellum, the town operated almost too much like clockwork. Every day, the NPCs would make their way to their fishing boats and cast out their nets some distance from the shore. Transports would spend the day ferrying empty holds north or south, back and forth.

The same townsfolk would go about their days, living their own little fake lives. The longer he watched, the more he noticed the trends. By the fifth day, the repetitions had become obvious enough to be disconcerting. Perhaps larger or busier towns warranted more system resources to act more alive. With only the Wayward Pact here, Hispellum apparently wasn't worth the effort.

Taiki had spent most of the last week either sharpening himself against the town's trainer NPCs or, as he was at the moment, buried in its library. There was still much to learn about Aincrad; potentially fatal gaps in his knowledge. The library was fairly small, only about ten meters wide and twenty long, but there was still plenty to read. He licked his thumb to turn the page in his current book when he heard the door open and close as someone entered. He glanced up despite already having a good idea of what it was. It was a generic male NPC that came here every other day. He would spend a few minutes browsing the shelves, then leave without actually taking anything.

He watched the NPC a moment, wondering to himself. Devlin had explained that SAO only fully rendered environments that could be observed by players, or were within a certain range. How much of this town had been going through its routine before they'd gotten here? How long would they keep going once they'd gone? Would the entire town of Hispellum simply vanish once there was again nobody around to see it?

Taiki was taking a bored sip from a cup of tea that had turned lukewarm hours ago when someone else entered the library, unscheduled. Devlin quickly spotted his larger companion and strolled over to him. The masked figure looked over the table top curiously. To Taiki's left was a stack of mismatched books standing fifteen centimeters tall. To his right was a more sloppily stacked column twice its height. There were several papers arrayed in front of him in a partial half circle. Devlin pulled out a chair and took a seat across from him.

"Yo." Devlin said in simple greeting. He gestured to the larger stack of books. "You plan on reading all those today?"

"No." Taiki replied. "Those are the ones I've already gone through."

"…Oh." Devlin reappraised the stack, tilting his head to look over the titles on their spines. "Pretty wide variety. What are you reading now?"

"Bestiary of common creatures." Taiki turned another page. "Skimming through it as a break before I read more of the sword and shield manual. What's up?"

"Nothing." Devlin leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms and tucking his chin to his chest as he stretched his legs out. "Haruki's throwing another fit, so I decided I wanted to be somewhere else while she and Cedric hash it out. At least until Chie gets back from her meeting with Mori."

Haruki had spent most of the week doing that. Now that they believed someone was after them, the woman had been adamant about ejecting the two of them from the group. Taiki's stunt with Midas only made things worse. He couldn't really blame her; it was yet another thing about him that made him unusual and unknown. Devlin had maintained that he didn't know who was after them, and so far Taiki believed him.

Some of the loose papers caught Devlin's attention. There were two pages of lined paper filled with handwritten text. "What's this?"

Devlin reached a hand out towards them, and when the larger man made no objection, he picked them and started to look them over.

"I started making a list of all the words I don't know." Taiki explained. "I mean, words that are in my head, but I don't know the meaning to."

Devlin frowned as his eyes wandered the page. "Yeah, Amber mentioned you had some trouble with your internal dictionary."

He flipped one of the papers over, finding it was filled on both sides. "There's quite a few here."

"I stopped when it started giving me a headache." Taiki turned another page. He brushed through the next four before closing the bestiary and exchanging it for the aforementioned manual, opening it to a bookmark.

"You've been at this a while." Devlin observed. It was about quarter after three in the afternoon. "You been here all day?"

Taiki simply nodded in the affirmative. He thought a moment, then placed the manual back down, expecting Devlin to say something further.

"You doin' okay?" Devlin asked, confirming his thoughts. "You've been a little…off since we got here."

"Just keeping my mind occupied." Taiki answered. "There's still too much I don't know. I need to learn as much as I can about this place if I want to survive it."

The larger man weighed his words a moment, not wanting to ask the same question he knew Devlin had already heard several times this week from both the others and himself. He asked anyways.

"Devlin," Taiki started, "the people that you hunted down before, the four spotters, you're sure they didn't have any more friends that might hold a grudge?"

Devlin gave a sigh. "Like I said, after I took out the spotters, there were four other reds; the ambushers that tried to take me out. That was months ago, and they're all dead. Made sure of it. From what I've seen of _these_ people, I don't know any of them. I won't deny the possibility, but they could just as easily be something completely different."

_I wish I could speak with the same certainty about anyone that might want _me_ dead._ Taiki thought.

"Zahnri, that lone tracker we ran into north of Schreidenburg, once we sprung our trap, he was trying to get away, but only turned to fight me and you." Taiki paused a second. "They're most likely after one of us."

"Either that or he felt confident he could take us on once he had the two of us alone." Devlin subtly shifted in his chair. "Did he say anything to you? All he did with me was try and kill me."

"Yeah." Taiki started, thinking back. Devlin's ears perked. "Mostly that I didn't have the guts to finish him off."

Taiki knew there was more to it than that but the details escaped him. The most memorable part of the event had been Devlin's surprise execution. Taiki clenched his left hand at the other prominent memory. The library door opened as the NPC concluded his browsing and left, empty-handed.

"Nothing helpful, then." Devlin ran his hand over his scalp. His straight red hair was briefly swept back before slipping around his head, reaching just over his shoulders. "Well, I won't keep distracting you from your studies."

The masked man scooted his chair away from the table. "What with us not being able to add you to the party, we can't see you on the map, so I just wanted to check in."

"It's no problem." Taiki replied, not taking it as any sort of intrusion. "I'll probably head over to the trainers in a little while."

Devlin went to place the pages of Taiki's missing vocabulary back onto the table, but paused. "Hey, you mind if I hold onto these? See what I can figure from them?"

Taiki cocked an eyebrow, but shrugged. "Sure, it's just junk now. I couldn't get anything out of it."

Devlin nodded, tucked the papers into the pocket on the front on his right thigh, and exited the library.

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The NPC stood idly for a long moment in a ready pose, eventually moving forward and raising its weapon. The generic looking male was unarmoured and wielded a simple short sword. Its attack was a slow over strike that was heavily telegraphed and easily batted aside. Wide open, its opponent's large labrys axe swatted it across the face with the flat of the head. The NPC staggered away and sunk down to one knee, yielding as the match came to a close with its health entering the yellow.

"We should have kicked them out, already." Haruki stated, pulling her axe up to rest the midpoint of the shaft over her shoulder. "Sent them packing."

Once the NPC had risen back to its feet, she gestured for it to continue. Its health bar replenished, and it led with another telegraphed attack, swiping at her side. Her axe swung down to intercept it, and the top of the axe head was sent slamming into his face. While he was still reeling, Haruki hooked the bottom of her long edge into the back of his neck and yanked him forward. Bracing her right hand halfway up the shaft, she forced him down, tossing him to the ground. While the NPC was still flat on his stomach, she stomped the heel of her right foot into the base of his skull, grinding her boot in as she pivoted to address her audience.

"Well?" She prompted.

Leaning against the fence of the sparring ring was her husband. He glanced down at the floundering NPC. Haruki had hired the trainer at the lowest difficulty setting. Her purpose here wasn't to train or practice so much as it was to vent her frustrations on something.

"I think," he stalled, "you should let the poor thing go."

She lifted her foot off the trainer's neck. He quickly took to his feet, moving off to dispassionately take a ready pose for another one-sided bout, aborted when Haruki dismissed him. The trainer gave a robotic comment about improving with vigilant practice and returned to the nearby barracks about fifteen meters away.

When Mamoru said nothing further, she scowled. She rotated her axe so that the head was pointed down, grasped near the pommel with both hands and thrust it downwards, planting it in the dirt. "I'm being serious. You said we were going to talk. It's been a week now. Let's talk."

Quite a bit had happened since Mamoru had said something to that effect, prior to leaving on the raid mission. He leaned forward to stop leaning against the fence. "Okay. What do you want to talk about?"

The answer was obvious, but with his wife already gearing up to vent he figured he might as well let her begin.

"You should have never left on that raid!" Haruki shouted. "We should have never brought those two along, and we shouldn't be running around on this God damned mystery hunt!"

"You're right." Mamoru replied flatly.

Haruki made to shout something back, but caught herself, thrown off by how quickly he'd agreed. She'd been worked up for an argument, and it had just evaporated in front of her. It was a little disappointing. "What?"

"You were right." He repeated. "The raid was too risky, and could have easily gone much, _much_ worse once we were trapped in there."

"As for the other two, I don't know." Mamoru continued. "I understand why we took them along originally. You know how Chie is; this isn't the first time she's put us out of our way to help someone with something or other. Helping Devlin get his icon green again wasn't a bad goal at the time."

"Fine." Haruki conceded that point. "I still say we should've parted ways after that."

"I agree." Mamoru looked skyward a moment as a cloud drifted by above them, briefly blocking the sun. "That would have been the best time. Again, Chie playing hero isn't anything new, but this thing with Taiki is a bit more involved than anything she's brought us along on before."

"So," Haruki started, "we should send them off. Let him and Devlin figure that out themselves."

"Can't do that." Mamoru set his feet. He knew this was where the true argument lie. "It's too late. Whoever the people that attacked us are after, us or them, we're already involved. We're too committed to back out now."

"You're joking." Haruki stated, though she knew he wasn't.

"I'm all on board with removing Taiki and Devlin the first chance we get, but as far as things go with this current mess, we're going to need all the help we can get." Mamoru held up a hand to curtail his wife's interjection before it could be put to words. "Yeah, they're probably after one of those two, but what if they're not? What if they are, and they hit us again after they're gone anyways? It sucks, but we have to see this through."

"See this through?" Haruki parroted back, raising her voice. "This isn't our fight!"

"It _is_ our fight. Whoever attacked us _made_ it our fight." Mamoru replied, meeting her tone. "You think they'll just let us all go after they've lost people? Let bygones be bygones? We just killed four of them!"

It was uncommon for Mamoru to be this forceful, especially with her. Still, she refused to relent or back down. "Fine. We leave, then. Find a new party."

Mamoru let loose a sharp laugh, despite himself. "Who? We don't exactly have a wide social circle."

Haruki was aware that, while her husband was quite amiable, she had trouble tolerating people for long periods of time. It did not take long for the feeling to become mutual.

"Then we get help." She suggested.

"Same problem? From who?" He didn't wait for an answer. "We've already run through our collective contacts. Nobody we know or trust wants to get mixed up in this. You know anybody else we could call?"

Haruki already had an idea, one she'd been sitting on, but she knew Mamoru wouldn't like it. Him not liking something hadn't exactly stopped her before.

"We talk to a hunting guild." She said, curtly. "Not the Second Suns; someone cheaper."

His eyes narrowed. "No."

"Why?" She asked, forcefully. "We might not have enough information for them to go on the offensive, but maybe we could have them come with us as extra defense until they have a trail to follow."

"Absolutely not."

"Why do you hate the hunters so much?" Haruki persisted.

"Because they're just as bad!" Mamoru exploded. "And I won't put our safety in the hands of a hit squad! Any other brilliant ideas you want to run past me?"

Haruki glared at the unintended insult. "At least I'm trying to think of something, not just doing whatever Chie tells you to."

"Well, when you start thinking of something better, I'll follow." He said, sharper than he'd wanted.

She was about to press the issue further, lay into him with her own biting words still forming when she noticed someone coming down the road their way. She looked past her husband to see Taiki hesitantly making his way to the barracks, trying to avoid eye contact. He'd obviously overheard their shouting match.

She sneered and brushed past Mamoru, plucking her axe from the ground and slipping it into the sheath on her back. "I'm going for a walk."

He turned to track her as she passed him. "Where?

"For a walk." She repeated without slowing.

Once she was gone, Taiki was more comfortable with bringing his rented trainer out into the ring. The NPC took a spot on the other end and waited while Taiki approached Mamoru. The larger man had replaced his shield in the past week, finding one of the same basic design, though looking fairly plain and unimpressive with its flat grey finish.

"Everything okay?" Taiki asked, glancing to Haruki, still storming off.

"She'll be fine." Mamoru answered roughly. "Just stay out of our-her way for a bit."

Taiki cocked his brow. Mamoru had been perfectly friendly to him when he'd first joined, but had been growing more distant ever since he'd found out he was likely a member of the Bloodhounds PvP group. The stress of the current situation was also not sitting well with him either. He watched the pudgier man a moment as he worked his jaw.

"Something you want to say?" Taiki prompted.

"That stunt you pulled with Midas, what the hell were you thinking?" Mamoru asked with a deep frown.

"He wouldn't talk in town," Taiki answered, "so I took him somewhere we could get the info we needed."

"You acted without consulting the rest of us." Mamoru accused. "Then left him there to die. A guy like that has deep pockets and can hold a grudge. We've already got someone hounding us, and you probably went and made it worse."

"I'm sorry, it was spur of the moment." Taiki explained. "I didn't even know if it was going to work."

"Well, congratulations, you might have either made us a new enemy or gotten someone killed due to your on the spot decision making." Mamoru turned and started to leave as well, in the opposite direction as his wife. "With our luck you did both."

Taiki didn't say anything else and let the man walk away. He didn't want to agitate him any more than he already was. Instead, he turned to face his rented NPC and signaled for him to begin. While he couldn't accept or send duel requests due to his corrupted menu keeping him from any of the more social features in SAO, he was at least able to fight trainers, since that was a simple transaction between him and the system controlled entity. It wasn't the same as fighting human opponents, but it was good practice for fighting mobs.

Lately, he and Devlin had been sparring just outside the town walls, to get a more authentic feel to their matches. They would fight until one of them yielded. It was only truly risky if Taiki forgot to keep an eye on his health bar, since his opponent couldn't see it.

The NPC raised its kite shield and short sword and started to advance. He was always thankful for Devlin, Chie or Amber sparring with him, but sometimes it was good to get some practice in by himself. Taiki set his feet and brought his own shield up, resting his falcata across his shoulders behind his head in a wrath guard like he'd seen in the manual.

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In a disgruntled huff, Haruki stomped as much as walked through the dirt roads of Hispellum. She avoided the area where their rented house was, as well as the docks, knowing Devlin would probably be there. Her already present scowl deepened. With how small the little town was, it didn't take long for her to angrily stroll through the remainder of it. After slowly simmering down while crossing from one end to the other, she found herself wandering towards the town's center.

She headed over to the teleporter and leaned against the archway. Haruki rested the back of her head against it and closed her eyes. Even when they weren't in use, they made a constant, low level hum punctuated by the occasional fluctuating sound like quiet sparks if one was close enough to hear it. Haruki had always found it somewhat soothing, though she would be hard pressed to explain why. She was standing there about ten minutes when a new idea came to her.

Haruki kicked off from the archway and turned to face it. They weren't supposed to leave town. Chie had given the order so they wouldn't blunder into any more trouble while they parsed this through. Seven days later and they were still in hiding. She tapped her foot, thinking, forming her idea into something more concrete. Haruki could think of one other person or group that might be willing to help them. She admittedly did not know much about them, but what she did made her think this was right up their alley. Unfortunately their names fell into the former category of things she did _not_ know, but she had an inkling of where to get them.

_Mamoru won't like this._ She opened her menu, changing her icon status to hidden, with the effect that the other members of the Wayward Pact would not see her on their maps until she switched it back.

Chie would no doubt try and lecture her about this, but she didn't need to know until after she was done. She tabbed over to her inventory, changing from her armour into simple day clothes and equipped a large cowl. She drew it up over her head, casting her face in shadow, and dialed the teleporter.

With a familiar snap and a pop, the vortex formed and she stepped through the archway. The trip was nearly instantaneous, depositing her in the first town of the twenty third floor. From here, she keyed in the next leg of her trip and stepped through again. The transition took significantly longer. Haruki was in the borderless limbo of the roiling miasma, rushing through with the sensation of breakneck speed a full twenty seconds until she loaded into the city of Mittelwache. While Sveltheim was the final city of the fifty first floor, Mittelwache was the first.

Sveltheim was a larger than average town, but Mittelwache was closer to a true city, packed into a seven kilometer diameter circle. The architecture had a distinctly German gothic slant, for anyone that could recognize it. The city was designed with the main roads forming concentric rings every couple blocks until they met the outer wall, likewise a large ring. Connecting the east gate to the west, and the north to the south were two highways that cut straight through the city, meeting at the town's center where the teleport hub was located.

The area around the town's two dozen warp gates was an eighty meter wide circle devoid of any structures save for said gates. Surrounding it were the innermost buildings of Mittelwache, a ring of four storey shops that formed a wall of their own around the centre. Haruki turned her eyes skyward, up to the monument Mittelwache was most known for.

The Hephaestian Gate was a grand arch three hundred meters across, with one end to the northeast and the other touching down in the southwest. The impressive structure reached three hundred fifty meters up in a catenary arch. As far as anyone could tell, it was built from a single solid, blackened iron piece almost ten meters thick. Some had compared it to the real world St Louis Arch, but it was more like a giant, fat warp gate. In its center, about a hundred fifty meters directly above Haruki hung a two meter wide ball of soft blue light; a larger version of the thimble sized light found in any other gateway.

If the Town of Beginnings was the Starting City, Mittelwache was its sister, sitting at Aincrad's center. The Hephaestian Gate marked it as the halfway point between the game's beginning and the end of the world. With Mori probably still busy with Chie, this was where she could find another information broker she was familiar with. Mittelwache was large enough and thriving enough that one could find most anything if they were willing to look for it. With long, determined strides, Haruki fast walked into the city proper. She only had so much time before someone noticed she'd left Hispellum. She opened her menu and sent a quick message to the person she was here to see.

Ten minutes later she was ascending the steps to the third storey of a building near the inner ring. The building was a four storey gambling house, sitting between a bank and a hotel. Haruki ignored the NPC and human dealers and headed straight for the bar, spotting who she was here for. It felt a bit off, visiting such a place without Mamoru. Then again, coming to such an establishment would have usually been his idea.

At the far end of bar sat her contact, by himself. He was a man somewhere in his mid-forties, with a square face and short black hair starting to show the signs of age at his temples. He was sitting on his stool, facing away from the bar, his back leaned against the counter with both his elbows resting on it behind him. His hands were clasped together in front of him, twiddling his fingers as his head panned back and forth scanning the room. The cigar in his mouth left a trail of smoke as his head turned.

He was dressed in dark grey trousers and a beige trench coat. The man looked like a private dick out of one of those severely outdated films from the west, just shy the fedora. In the medieval setting of Aincrad he stuck out like an anachronistic sore thumb.

As she approached he caught sight of her and a smile lit up his face. He sat up and gave a friendly wave. "Haruki. Over here."

"Hello, Tracey." She said in simple greeting, taking a seat on the stool next to him. She waved away the human bartender before he could offer her anything.

"Good to see you again." He started to perform another quick scan of the room. "Mamoru around here somewhere?"

She shook her head in the negative. "Just me."

"Hmmpfh." He grunted to himself and blew a plume of smoke out of the corner of his mouth. The info broker beckoned the bartender back their way and placed an order. "That's too bad."

Tracey's friendly demeanor noticeably cooled. While he and Mamoru could enjoy a decent conversation, he was aware that any such effort would be wasted on her. Haruki could appreciate that.

His drink arrived, a scotch by the look and smell of it. He took hold of his cigar and tapped the end to knock the ashes loose before placing it in a tray to be able to better give attention to his refreshment. "Well, if it's just you, I'm figuring you don't want to chit chat and get straight to business."

In confirmation, Haruki pulled a small pouch of coins out of her pocket and handed them over, paying him for taking the time to meet with her and to grease the wheels before fielding her questions. He tossed it a few inches up a couple times to gauge its weight and slipped it into his coat.

"Okay," Tracey downed the contents of his glass and flagged down the bartender for a taller refill, "C'mon, Quinten, fill the damn glass."

The broker turned his attention back her way after tossing a coin to Quinten. "What can I do for you?"

"Do you know someone who goes by the name Inquisitor?" Haruki asked. She waved the bartender away once he'd poured Tracey's drink.

"I know _of_ him." Tracey took on a more serious tone. "What do you want to know about him?"

"Do you know his player name?" Haruki summoned a stack of coins and placed them on the table. "I'd like to message or contact him."

Tracey eyed the coins, but didn't reach for them. "The hell do you want to do _that_ for?"

Haruki was never good at subterfuge or concocting excuses, so she just told the blunt truth. "I'm in a bit of trouble, and I think it's the kind of thing he can help with."

"You got a problem with some reds?" Tracey asked. When Haruki nodded, he gave a light sigh. "Well, yeah, the guy does seem to like killin' reds."

He eyed the coins again and drummed his fingers on the bar top. "I don't know his username. I don't even know how many people he has in his crew apart from that young lady friend of his, and I don't know _anything_ about her."

"What can you tell me about him?" Haruki slid the coins closer to him.

Tracey reached out and picked them up. "I know he fashions himself like some kind of detective slash red hunter slash self-appointed lawman. I know he moves around a lot, and I know if you meet him it usually don't end well."

"You ever meet him?" Haruki gave the bartender a more aggressive dismissal as he was headed over to check on them.

"No, but I've seen him once. Happened across him accusing a few people on one of the lower floors." Tracey recalled. "He was giving some dramatic spiel about their guilt and how he was taking them in. They brushed him off, and he left after making some threats. The next day, all three were found dead in the Chronicler's count."

"Tell me," She summoned another stack of coins, "how do I find him."

"You don't." He reached for the coins, put Haruki placed her hand back over them. "I'm serious. I think they guy has some sort of network. Check with any other info brokers you can find here. Hell, ask some random vendors, just keep pounding the pavement and _he'll_ find _you_."

Haruki cocked an eyebrow, but left her hand over the coins.

"I know, it sounds like a cliché from one of my old films," Tracey insisted, "but it's the only way I know to get his attention without going on a killing spree."

"How do you know this works?" Haruki asked. "You try this yourself?"

Tracey nodded. "After the event I just mentioned, I decided to do a little digging, maybe get something worth selling to those interested. The next night, I go home, I'm getting ready for bed, and the next thing I know there's a bag over my head and someone telling me to back off."

Haruki looked genuinely intrigued. "Then what?"

"I backed off." Tracey admitted. "I'm sure info on him might be gold, but I know when I'm poking my head somewhere it's likely to get chopped off. I won't stop you, but this is a bad idea."

Haruki lifted her hand away from the coins, allowing the broker to claim them. "Thanks, Tracey. That's all I needed."

With nothing further to say, Haruki stood and turned to leave. The over dutiful bartender was present almost immediately to reclaim Tracey's empty glass. Haruki was taking her first steps away from the broker spoke up again.

"Word of advice; be careful." He started. "You'd be surprised how quickly these moral crusader types can turn on you. People like that can justify damn near anything to themselves once they're on their high horse."

Haruki paused a moment and glanced back at him over her shoulder. "I'll keep that in mind."

Their meeting over, Haruki made haste out of the gambling house. If she was lucky, nobody had noticed her absence yet. Hispellum was small, but it wouldn't be hard to believe they hadn't run into her for a while longer. She'd only be in trouble once they thought to check their maps. It occurred to her that drawing attention to herself by asking around for specific red hunter might be at odds with Chie's current objective of hiding out. She dismissed this concern and started making her rounds. After a few queries to various player vendors, she was able to get an idea of where to find some other info brokers in this city.

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The ocean breeze blew softly across the pier. The sole occupant clutched his drawing pad to still the pages. Once it passed, the figure resumed his work. It was peaceful out here, by himself, sat in his wooden chair. There was the rhythmic beat of the waves against the support pillars of the pier and the shore, the more chaotic mix of calls from the gulls circling overhead, and the occasional pleasant breeze. The sea was calm, and the NPC fishing boats that had thrown their nets out of the coast lazily swayed.

It was a welcome, relaxing change in scenery after having Haruki again try to win him over to the idea of immediately expelling their newest members. The woman didn't seem to grasp that if someone was not in agreement with you, that yelling the same arguments louder did not make them work any better. Haruki had certainly found their hiding here chafing, and she then chafed against everyone else. No doubt the subject would again be brought up once Chie returned from her meeting with Mori.

Putting these matters out of his mind, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath of the not too salty air and continued to draw. He was so engrossed in his sketching that he failed to notice his visitor until she was nearly upon him.

"Hey Cedric." Amber greeted, standing beside him to his right.

"Amber." He replied. He looked around behind him to find Brenda a few meters behind them, staring up at the gulls.

There was a moment's silence, broken when Amber cleared her throat.

"It's nice out here." Amber stated.

"Yup." He confirmed, still sketching.

She tilted her torso left at the hips and looked down at his pad. "Whatcha drawing?"

Cedric pointed his pencil out at one of the fishing boats.

Amber gave his attempt to produce a facsimile another appraisal. "You've gotten better."

Cedric turned his head up at her. "Really?"

"Yeah. A little. It's very…um…I can tell it's a boat." She turned towards her NPC. "What do you think, Brenda?"

"That we should be avenging my family." The drone deadpanned.

Cedric flipped his sketchpad closed and pivoted in his chair, causing the old wood to creak and faced Amber, ignoring the NPC. "Something the matter?"

"No, we were taking a walk and I noticed you out here." Amber explained. "Looked lonely, so I thought I'd say hi."

"Not lonely, just alone." Cedric corrected.

Another pause. Amber didn't really have anything to talk about other than small talk. She was starting to catch on that Cedric had preferred to be by himself for the moment.

"Well, I'll leave you to your drawing, then." Amber started back stepping away towards the shore. "You see Taiki or Devlin?"

Cedric didn't ask why she didn't check her map. He pointed to the shore to his right, towards a point where the shore came further inland into a small bay. "I think I saw Devlin headed over there. I don't know about Taiki."

Amber excused herself, taking her companion with her and leaving Cedric to return to his sketching. She decided to walk along the shore, then head in towards town. It would be easy enough to open her map and confirm where everyone was, but she was bored and looking for something to do. She already knew where Mamoru was, sulking in the house. Chie was still out, and she'd found Cedric. That left Taiki and Devlin. She had no desire to look for Haruki.

The bay was the closer destination. It extended about twenty odd meters inland and formed a neat half circle. It was nice and secluded, partially nestled into the beginnings of the short waterside butte. As she approached, she walked over a short knoll and spotted a pile of something near the water. The water was a deep, dark blue, plunging straight down from the rocky shore into depths she couldn't see the bottom of. It was like looking down a sheer undersea cliff.

There was no Devlin in sight, so she strolled over to the object. It was revealed to be several objects. There was a pair of boots, a red cloak, a thin yellow shirt and grey underpants. Amber noticed movement in the pool, rising towards the surface. The figure looked decidedly fleshy.

She glanced at the assorted garments and started to back away from the water. "Oh."

At that moment, Devlin broke the surface about five meters to her left, facing away. He pulled himself partially out of the water with his right arm, revealing a bare upper body. Devlin threw a netted bag onto the shore with his left. Once both his arms were free, he hauled himself free of the water, hooking his left leg up first. He stood, leaning forward with his hands on his knees and retched up a lungful of seawater, appearing to have swam for longer than he could hold his breath. Once he was done emptying enough of his chest to breathe some air again, he straightened up and started looking around for his belongings, and immediately froze upon seeing Amber.

He was completely nude, save for a pair of goggles, standing feet shoulder width apart. Devlin was apparently not the sort of man that used his ethics settings. He made no move to cover himself, instead quickly crossing his arms, his left tucked under his right. Amber couldn't help but notice that he also wore a diving knife on his outer right thigh.

"Do you mind?" He blurted out at the unintended intrusion, his voice was a raspy croak, still waterlogged.

Amber turned several shades of red and turned away, quickly retreating from the bay. She stammered out a panicked 'I'm sorry!' and didn't wait for a reply. She could hear Devlin resume clearing the rest of his lungs as she made a hasty exit with Brenda in tow.

With the situation with Devlin having taken a sudden turn for the awkward, she headed into town to try and find Taiki. He'd spent the last two weeks mostly either buried in the library or at the training ring. It was almost four thirty presently, so she figured he was more likely training. The ringing sounds of steel on steel confirmed her deduction. By the time she'd arrived in the town proper, her face had returned to a normal shade.

She came around the barracks next to the ring so see Taiki already sparring against a trio of NPCs trainers. They were all generic looking males, with the one to Taiki's left wielding a straight short sword, the one to his right wielding a rapier, and the one in the middle holding a midsized notched round shield and spear. Taiki was facing away from her, trying to hold his own against the group. The trainers on either side would make heavy attacks, forcing him to consistently block with both his shield and sword. The spear wielder would then try and take advantage of the opening. Amber watched the pattern continue for two more iterations, neither party landing any hits as Taiki was pushed back.

After narrowly dodging another thrust of the spear, Taiki batted it aside as the trainer to his right stabbed his rapier at his ribs. He swept it aside with his falcata as the NPC to his left attacked with a heavy diagonal wrath cut at his neck. Taiki raised his shield to ward the blow as the spear bearer stepped forward to make his thrust. He twisted counter clockwise out of the way, and before it could be pulled back, grabbed onto it with his free off hand just under the spearhead.

Taiki jerked on the spear, pulling its wielder close enough for him to quickly close the distance and make a thrust of his own, blocked by the spearman's shield. He swung his blade around in time to block another strike from the rapier to his right, and, still holding the spear, lifted it high, using it to catch and deflect an overstrike from the short sword. Taiki then put his right shoulder forward and charged into the spearman's shield with all his weight. The two of them went down, with Taiki quickly rolling off of him and taking to one knee, still griping his spear. He was relatively above the still lying trainer.

The falcata was brought up, switched to a reverse grip and plunged down with a grunt of effort, sinking it halfway into the ground through the NPC just under his trachea. Before the other two could move in he stood, stomping his foot on the pommel of his sword, ripping the spear from the NPC's grip and sinking his own weapon the rest of the way into the earth. Without switching hands he twirled the spear around and threw at the closer NPC, advancing with his rapier. It planted itself into his gut before he could react. He flopped onto his back from the force of the impact.

With one left on its feet, Taiki drew his kukri and bull rushed the remaining trainer with a throaty bellow. The NPC tried to sidestep out of the way while slashing at his ribs. Taiki didn't alter his course. Instead, he swung his shield arm out to the left and blocked the strike with his kukri. This put his left arm just far out enough to reach the NPC. As he passed, he clamped his off hand around the surprised trainer's throat and hefted him back around in front of him. Taiki then rammed into the fence around the ring full force, sandwiching the NPC.

He latched onto the wrist of its sword hand and started savagely hacking away at its face and head. It lifted its off hand to protect its face and its fingers were prompted sheared off. Taiki could hear the rapier trainer rising to its feet, having dislodged the spear from its torso. The disarmed spearman was still struggling to unstake itself from the ground. As the former started to advance, Taiki chopped his kukri into the top rung of the fence and grabbed onto the pinned trainer with both hands. The flailing NPC was lifted bodily and tossed over the fence, removing it from the ring and the match. With that task done he pulled his kukri free.

He was turning his attention back to the NPC with the rapier as he stabbed his weapon at him. As Taiki came around to face him, the rapier punched into his chest. The trainer pulled the weapon back and made ready to stab again when Taiki charged him. He ducked forward and down under a thrust at his face and sprung upwards, stabbing his kukri up under its chin. The guard met its chin and the tip protruded from its crown like a grotesque horn as the NPC was lifted off its feet. Taiki shoved his arm out and quickly jerked it back, causing the blade to slice its way out through the NPC's face, dropping it to the ground. A quick step brought him in range to lift a foot, ready to stomp on its head when he noticed Amber watching from the sides.

Taiki paused, floundering as he staggered forward as the finisher was unexpectedly aborted. He almost looked embarrassed as he straightened his face out from an expression that he realized must appear rather murderous.

"I yield." Taiki called out to the remaining two trainers, drawing the round to a close. "I'm done for now."

They both gave canned replies about him trying harder next time, proclaiming their victory as they took to their feet, with the spearman finally managing to free itself from his falcata. The NPC handed him his weapon, retrieved his own and followed the other two back into the barracks.

"You don't have to stop." Amber stated.

Taiki sheathed his weapons and strolled over to the fence, vaulting over. He wasn't out of breath, but he was still panting from the adrenaline and exertion. "No, it's fine."

"That was pretty good." She complimented. "A little…brutal, but good. What setting were they on?"

"Medium." Taiki answered. "And thanks."

"Why were you fighting three?" Amber asked, curious.

"All the mobs we've fought have been in groups, so I figured it would make sense to try and set up my training sessions around that." Taiki explained. "I can practice with any of you guys when I feel like a one on one."

"You don't fight like that with the rest of us. Why?" Amber hopped up to sit on the top rung of the fence to his left. "You'd end up on the ground less often if you fought that hard with us."

Taiki leaned back against the railing next to her, his breathing steadying. "They're just mobs. I can let loose with them."

He looked down at his feet as he paused a moment. "With you or Devlin or Chie, training outside the safe zone, I'm fighting my friends. It just feels wrong to go all out on you, even if I know you can take it. And as for Devlin, I know he's trying to train me to better fight people."

Taiki lifted his eyes back to hers. "I don't like fighting people."

"I understand what you mean." Amber said in a soft voice. "But it's still something we all need to be ready for, now more than ever."

"I can deal with mobs; they're easy." Taiki ran his hand over his scalp. "But I don't want to fight other players…not again…not if I don't have to."

_You know it's only a matter of time._ He thought to himself.

Amber couldn't help but cock her head quizzically. "For someone we think used to be a red hunter, that's not something I would expect to hear from a PvPer."

He rested his hand on the pommel of his sheathed falcata. _The clues linking me to the Bloodhounds are both my sword, and what little I can remember of when I first awoke. Unless there's some twist I haven't found yet, I _was_ a player hunter._

"That's something else I'm worried about." Taiki said. "If I used to hunt people down…maybe even kill them…I want to know who I am, but I'm worried about what it would be like if that's all that came back to me."

"…Wow." Amber let that hang for a moment.

Taiki couldn't help but give a shallow, lop-sided smile at the brevity of her reply. "Yeah."

Amber fidgeted a moment before her face faintly lit up with an idea. "You know what usually cheers me up? Cake."

Taiki blinked. "Huh?"

"Yeah." She stepped up to him, enough that the tilt of her head up at him had grown more pronounced. "There's a little sweet shop down the road we can check. It's not much of a bakery, but they might have something good."

Taiki cocked an eyebrow, somewhat amused by the suggestion. "Cake's your pick-me-up?"

"Well, that and good company," Amber added, briefly rolling up onto her toes, "but I figured I had that part covered."

Taiki's still slim smile became more genuine. "Cake…cake sounds good."

"Great." She took a spot by his side and indicated the direction of the shop.

With Brenda following behind, the two made their way away from the training ring.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Listen, ma'am, I'm sorry, but I don't know anything about no Inquisitor." The shopkeeper repeated himself.

He was a young man somewhere in his late teens, running a small potion shop. The boy wore a simple set of plain tan long sleeved shirt and pants, with a name tag on his chest bearing the name 'Vi'. His short cut hair was black, with a cyan streak dyed along his right temple. It was the only memorable thing about him.

There were two other human customers ambling around in the small store, but nobody else waiting on the clerk. He glanced around, making sure, finding himself still stuck with Haruki. She'd been questioning him for the last five minutes with no success. Before this, she'd visited several other shops, inns and bars over the last hour.

"Try asking around at the Rusty Flagon." He pointed to his right. "It's an inn down the road. Maybe someone there knows your guy."

It was true that innkeepers came across a large amount of people, and that their establishments were a good place to look for information. It was this reason that many of them hosted info brokers, or in the case of Mori, filled both roles themselves.

"I just came from there, Vee." Haruki replied, drawing out his name. She'd concluded not long after meeting him that she didn't like him. "They pointed me here."

Vi held out his arms in a wide, defeated shrug. "Well, I don't know what to tell you, then."

At the moment, the door opened, and Vi looked past her, hoping to be saved by a new customer. He was disappointed when it was revealed to only be an NPC that showed no interest in him. It was a female NPC with brown hair in a long pony tail, dressed in red pants, a white shirt, and a red vest. On her head was a postman's hat; a courier.

Her head quickly panned from left to right, halting once it landed on Haruki. The NPC courier quickly strode over to her and pulled out a folded piece of parchment from one of her pockets.

"Delivery for you, ma'am." She declared, holding the paper out.

Haruki half turned towards the drone. "From who?"

"I'm sorry." The NPC held the letter out farther. "I was instructed not to tell you."

She accepted the paper, finding it to just be a simple folded piece of white paper with a line of text on the inside.

Having completed her task, the courier wished her a good day, then performed a curt bow and an about face, quickly exiting the store. Vi cleared his throat impatiently.

"Is there anything else?" He asked. Despite her questions, she'd neglected to actually bother with any of his stock.

She didn't reply, instead re-reading the letter.

_217 Inkstrum Street. Come alone. You have fifteen minutes._

Haruki showed the paper and address to Vi. "You know where this is?"

"I think it's about a block or so south of here." He answered, eager to send her away.

She left the shop without saying another word and went in search of the address. After receiving more detailed instructions from a passing NPC, she set a waypoint on her map. From the main street, she took a right onto a side street, followed by a left into a smaller walkway. A couple twists and turns led her into what was barely more than an alley. She arrived on Inkstrum, finding a long wooden building that ran down a quarter of the block. They looked like they might have been studio apartments on the lowest end of the spectrum. It was common for either untrustworthy players or a town's surplus NPCs to inhabit in such places. Her menu chimed as she came to her waypoint at the given address.

She'd almost passed it up; there wasn't even an address visible over or around the door. From the outside, all she could see was a plain wooden door, with a single window to its right with shutters pulled closed. It was unpainted, and looked vacant. Haruki nocked at the door, but there was no answer.

The only indication she was at the right place was a piece of paper inserted between the door and the frame, resting near the handle. Haruki pulled it out and folded it open.

_Enter._

The door was unlocked, and opened inwards without resistance. Inside was a single, likewise plain room made of bare wood, measuring a cramped three meters square. There was nobody else present. Haruki walked up to the only thing inside, closing and latching the door behind her. It was a steel armchair with a cloth and another paper resting on the seat. She picked up both, starting to find this string of instructions irritating.

The cloth was a blindfold, brown, with eyes painted on it. She read the instructions.

_Put this on, and sit down._

"You've got to be kidding me." She muttered to herself.

She let the paper fall to the floor, but kept hold of the blindfold. Haruki crossed her arms and faced the door. She was a few minutes early, reasoning she could wait for whoever she was meeting to arrive. It was fifteen minutes later that she started to think that nobody was coming. Getting bored, she sat in the chair. It was solid, rigid and uncomfortable. It felt like it was the sort of chair more suited for interrogations than anything else.

After a few more minutes, she glanced at the instructions she'd discarded, then to the blindfold, still in her hand. With nothing better to do, she placed it over her face and started to tie it behind her head.

"The second that comes off this meeting ends." A voice suddenly said. Haruki hadn't even heard the door open. "What do you want?"

Haruki placed her hands on the chair's arm rests. "I'm looking for the Inquisitor. I need to speak with him."

"You can speak to me." The voice declared. It was soft and boyish; a young, small voice, but it spoke with authority.

"You're not the Inquisitor." Haruki was tempted to pull the blindfold off.

"The Inquisitor isn't here." The voice moved from Haruki's right to her left without any sound but his words. "I am."

"And who are you?" Haruki panned her head to follow him.

"I am his ears where he is not." The voice answered. "For the sake of this conversation you can call me Ether."

"So, you're what, a spy? An informant?" Haruki asked.

"I am his listener." Ether corrected. "I gather all the information I can, and I decide what _is_ and what is _not_ important enough to pass along. That is my job. Yours, Haruki, is to convince me that you fall into the category of the former and not the latter."

Haruki bristled at the mention of her name, and the tone of the voice's commands. "I've come to ask for his help. My party is being hounded by some red players."

"Then go speak to the Second Suns." Ether said, now to her right again.

She frowned at the obvious suggestion. "We can't afford them, an-"

"Have you tried Hircine's Huntsmen?" Ether cut her off. "A bit lower in the chain, but I hear their services are comparable."

Haruki had to resist the urge to growl. "We need someone with a bit more investigative skills. I understand the Inquisitor specializes in that."

"You are correct." He was now in front of her again. "Tell me what you know of your attackers. What are their names?"

"I don't know." Haruki frowned even deeper at the admission.

"An important detail, but not an uncommon problem." Ether was still in front of her, having apparently stopped moving now that the questioning had begun. "How many are there? How long has this been going on?"

"I don't know how many there are." Haruki squinted her eyes, trying to see through the blindfold, but the painted on eyes prevented her. "I think they've lost about… seven or so people trying to get at us. They've been after us for about a few weeks now. We've been attacked twice now."

"A large, determined group, it seems. Curious." Ether sounded genuinely interested. "On to the most important question; why. Why are you their target?"

"We took in two strays. One of them was a red at the time, and the other was a red hunter, probably." Haruki answered. "This all started after that."

"A strange combination of strays. This might sound like a mind-blowing idea, but have you tried asking _them_ about this?" Ether quipped.

"They both say they don't know who's after us." She confirmed. "I'm not sure how much I believe either of them."

"Maybe," Ether started, "try asking them harder. If your biggest clue is being uncooperative, persuade it act otherwise."

"The party leader wouldn't allow it." Haruki had tried asking permission to be a bit more forceful, but Chie had shot it down.

"Hmm." Ether grunted to himself, calculating what they'd discussed. "What do you expect the Inquisitor to do? Interrogate them for you?"

"No. I wouldn't stop him, but no." Haruki was starting to feel more hopeful. "I'm sure we'll be attacked again. I want to hire the Inquisitor to shadow us, then help us track down and deal with the reds that are after us once they attack."

"The Inquisitor is not for hire." Ether said abruptly. "More importantly, he cannot commit the time to play defense for an indeterminate amount of time."

"But-" Haruki sat further upright.

"When he is needed, the Inquisitor is detective. When the culprit is identified, he is hunter. Once caught, he is judge. What he is _not,_ is babysitter." Ether was suddenly very close, causing Haruki to involuntarily lean back. "I'm sorry, but he is a busy man, and he cannot afford the time to sit idly and wait for your foes to come to you."

"If we don't get help we could all die." Haruki spat at the insult. "Will we only be worth your time once we're in the grave?"

"I'm sorry, but there are bigger, more pressing problems at the table right now than yours, assuming I believe your story at face value. Even then, he is currently in the middle of a case. I will not be relaying your request to him, other than that this meeting occurred." Ether moved away. "For the time being, stay in the safe zones and question your new party members. I wish I could help you, but there is too much unknown, and very little urgency. Perhaps you can hire some sells words, though I suppose I wouldn't know of any trustworthy ones."

Haruki felt a slip of paper being pushed into her hand. "Take this. Should you learn more about your attackers, or your situation becomes more dire, message this person, and word will filter to me. For your sake and his, keep this information under wraps."

"That's it?" Her hands balled into fists, crumpling the paper. "You're just telling me to leave a voicemail the next time our heads are on the chopping block?"

"Busy as he is, if you are in immediate danger, he can perhaps make a detour." Ether clarified. "Justice can be swift when needed. Until then, goodbye."

"Wait!" Haruki shouted.

There was no reply. She pulled the blindfold from her face, confirming she was once again alone. Haruki looked down at the note in her hand, opening it to reveal a single word.

_Quinten._

She opened her menu as she heard the chime of an incoming message. Guessing what it was about, she tabbed over to her inbox.

It was from Mamoru. [Where are you? I don't see you on the map.]

[Taking a walk.] She typed. [I'm on my way back.]

Haruki strode over to the door and pulled on the handle. It didn't budge; the door was still latched. She gave the room another once over, but didn't see any other way in or out. She was about to start tapping on the walls, searching for a false panel when she got another message.

[Did you leave town? What are you doing?] Mamoru's message read. [Chie's on her way back. Just get here before anyone notices.]

With her objective of hiring the Inquisitor failed, she had no reason to stay here. Haruki started briskly walking back towards the teleport hub of Mittelwache. While she didn't really care if she and Chie got into another spat, there was no reason to over this. She broke into a jog, sacrificing a bit of pride for speed. In short order she entered the town center, slowing back to a walk as she approached one of the portals. She keyed in her destination, giving the great Hephaestian gate a last look before stepping through.

Two jumps and as many minutes later she was materializing in front of the portal in Hispellum. Waiting for her there was her husband, anxiously standing next to a nearby bench. Once her form had coalesced he quickly started towards her, meeting her half way. She was just finished toggling her hidden status off when he stepped up to her.

"What were you thinking, running off like that?!" He was just short of shouting, speaking with a mix of worry and anger.

"I didn't 'run off'." Haruki replied. "I took a quick trip to Mittelwache and spoke with Tracey."

"Tracey?" Mamoru bowed his head and pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. "So you went back to the floor where we're _most _at risk?"

"Relax." She replied nonchalantly. "I didn't leave the safe zones. It's not like I was in any danger."

"What if someone spotted you?" Mamoru persisted. "You'd put all of us in danger."

"You're overreacting." Haruki frowned, getting tired of her husband's unusual insistence. "Would you rather I cower with the rest of you here like mommy Chie told us to?"

"I'd rather you didn't jeopardize our lives so you can take a solo trip to the floor we've been attacked on twice!" Mamoru countered, his tone sharpening. "You couldn't even tell me? Or wait for Chie to get back and clear it with her?"

"I don't _have_ to clear it with her." Haruki growled. "I had a contact that could help us, so I went to speak with him. You're not doing anything so _I_ took the initiative."

"Why can't you accept you're not in charge of this party?" Mamoru paced a few steps back and forth.

"Because I should be!" Haruki declared. "It's her fault we're in this whole mess! If I was in command, none of this would be happening."

"But you're _not!_" Mamoru reminded. "And you _won't_ be; this is her party, or did you forget that?"

"I could be." While seeing Mamoru stick up for himself could be charming at times, it was rapidly to grating on her. Things worked better when he just did what she told him. "I'd do a better job and you know it."

"And how's that going to work, huh?" Mamoru let the question hang for half a second before supplying his own answer. "You certainly won't have the popular vote. You gonna try and duel her for it? Prove who's top dog?"

"Maybe…yeah. I'm not afraid of her." Haruki puffed out her chest, humouring the sarcastic suggestion. Mamoru's face fell, taking on a sudden defeated expression. "I can take her."

"Really?" Came a familiar voice from behind her, tinged with an icy tone normally alien to it. Mamoru's eyes went to his feet.

Haruki, for her part, froze for a short moment, surprised. For all her bravado, the unexpected calling out of her words threatened to deflate them. She steeled herself for what might be to come, and slowly turned to face the new addition to her conversation. Chie stood, hands on her hips, having arrived through the gateway in the midst of their shouting match. The larger woman would have made some retort, returned fire for Chie's ice, but found that her throat had constricted under her cold glare.

Chie took a step forward, letting her hands fall from her hips. "Can you, now?"

* * *

Author's notes: The time in Hispellum took longer than intended, but it is leading up to the next major confrontation. Until then, this seemed like a good chopping point.

I know I keep bringing up this Inquisitor fellow on the side; I assure this has a purpose.

I try not to have everything be too talkey, but I find people talk when they do stuff, especially when doing stuff together. Upcoming, more action oriented chapters should be slimmer on the jabbering, but when the plot revolves around as many unknowns as mine currently does, some talking heads is almost inevitable. I can only hope the payoff is good enough to balance out the buildup.

As always, if you're seeing this, thank you for reading.


	16. Chapter 14: Miscalculations

The only sound for the longest moment was the continuous soft hum and crackle from the nearby teleporter as the two woman stared each other down. Chie kept her icy glare fixed upon Haruki, expectantly waiting for a response, while the larger woman held her ground, trying to think of something to say. The first person to break the silence was Mamoru, clearing his throat loud enough to grab their attention. Neither person looked his way.

He took a pensive step towards Chie. "How did things go with Mori?"

"Mamoru, not now." Chie's gaze didn't waver. She addressed his wife. "Don't let me interrupt you. Please, continue."

Haruki made to say something she'd spent the last twenty seconds piecing together that she thought was particularly witty and biting, but found that her throat had gone dry. She blinked first, finding her eyes moving to her husband as she cleared her throat.

"No? Well, then you can explain something else." Chie's voice hardened and her eyes narrowed. "Where did you go?"

"What?" Haruki asked, trying not to sound surprised.

Chie started slowly advancing. "You think that just because I'm away I won't notice you dropping off the map?"

She stopped within arm's reach of Haruki, causing the larger woman reflexively shift her feet into a defensive stance.

Chie repeated herself more forcefully. "Where did you go?"

Now that Chie was close enough for her to tilt her head up to meet Haruki's eyes, the insubordinate woman was reminded of their size difference, finding her confidence returning. "I went to meet a contact. I thought he could help us."

"There a reason you didn't clear this with me?" Chie asked.

"I didn't feel the need to." Haruki stated bluntly.

"So, you decided to hide to hide this from me." She accused. "Who did you see and where?"

Haruki bristled at the choice of words. She growled out her answer. "Mittelwache. I spoke with an info broker."

The attempt to contact the Inquisitor hadn't panned out, so she chose to keep that to herself. No point in revealing a failure when she didn't have to. She squared her shoulders and took a more casual stance, refusing to feel threatened or cowed.

"I told you to stay in town." Chie reminded. "You should hav-"

"You went to speak with Mori." Haruki interrupted. "_I_ went to speak with someone el-."

"When I tell you to stay in town, you stay in town!" Chie shouted, almost imperceptibly clenching her fists. "What part of that is not clear to you?!"

Haruki flared her nostrils, incensed by the sudden outburst, but was cut off before she could say anything.

"Instead, you run off behind my back, putting all of us at risk, and I return to find you planning to usurp me." Chie took a step back, out of arm's reach. "You think you could run this party better?"

Haruki didn't hesitate. "I know so."

"Cedric won't follow you. Neither will Amber, and you know it." Chie waved her hand, opening her menu. "You still want to duel me for it?"

Haruki blinked, caught off guard by the offer. "What?"

"You heard me. Even if you beat me, you'd never lead this group," Chie switched over to her duel tab, "but maybe you want to prove who's the 'top dog'."

With a few button presses, the invitation was sent. Haruki alone could hear the ping of the incoming challenge. She opened her menu and tabbed over to it. Haruki knew a duel with Chie wouldn't really accomplish anything for her whether she won or not, but it was tempting, the bait dangling in front of her. She reached for the 'accept' button, but stopped short, noticing her husband to her side, slowly, slightly shaking his head in the negative. His brow was high, silently imploring her to reconsider.

Haruki's hand hovered over her menu as she watched the numbers beside the challenge count down. She look up to Chie again and met her eyes. The leader of the Wayward Pact was a coiled spring. Despite the duel only being on a first to yellow type, Haruki, for the first time today, felt hesitant in provoking her. The numbers next to the challenge reached zero and the duel request expired the standard full minute after it was issued.

Chie nodded, but made no further comment on the duel. Everyone present knew she'd just won. The party leader turned to her right, towards their rented home and started off towards it, giving a command as she left.

"Go fetch Taiki. We all meet in fifteen minutes." She called back without looking. "Do _not_ make me come find you."

They watched her leave, Mamoru waiting for her to be out of earshot to speak. "I guess things didn't go well with Mori."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Twenty minutes later, shortly before six in the evening, the entire party was gathered in the dining room of their rented home in Hispellum. The long oak table was large enough to accommodate seating for all of them. Taiki surveyed the group from his position. To his right at the head stood Chie, looking uncommonly stressed. Across from him, in the seat to her right was Cedric, ever supportive. Next to the bishounen was Amber, trying hard to avoid eye contact with Devlin, who was sitting across from her at Taiki's left. Next to her was Mamoru, with Brenda across from him at Devlin's left. Haruki had chosen to sit at the foot of the table, glowering more than usual.

All eyes were on Chie. To her left, behind Taiki was the outer wall, with light tinged orange by the evening filtering in through the windows. Her left side was bathed in the waning rays of daylight, casting her right in shadow. She'd already spoken briefly with Cedric, and now she would relay her report to the rest of them. After a moment of weighing her words, she began.

"I wish I had good news," she looked over everyone present, "but I don't."

Chie shifted her feet before continuing. "As you know, I was hoping we could use the remaining funds from the vault run and Midas' sword to pay Mori to do a little digging on who's after us. However, when she found out about our problems, she didn't want to get involved. Said she liked to stay out of any inter-player conflicts, even more so when there are reds involved. Inconvenient as it is I can't really blame her; this would no doubt have put her in as much danger as us."

"Shit." Mamoru uttered under his breath.

"What's worse is what came after." Chie continued. "After speaking with her I tried to find a few things out for myself. Any info I could bring to another broker to get them started, but I didn't have any luck. Despite our…almost friendly rapport with Mori she decided to keep her and her network out of this. I shouldn't be too surprised that the ones we're less familiar with wouldn't be interested either."

"So, none of them would tell us anything or see what they could find?" Mamoru asked the obvious question.

"No." Chie answered. "The most I could get was Mori telling me that the man that attacked Taiki at our latest ambush, Eckhardt, use to be a PK hunter until he got bored and switched sides. Nobody knew where he went after that. There's actually a bounty on him, a small one worth about a hundred fifty grand if we had any way of proving we were the ones that took him down."

Devlin raised a finger. "We have his weapon. That should do."

Taiki shifted uncomfortably in his seat. While Devlin had been the one to pick up the odachi, he'd since given it to him. He'd briefly thought of training with it, but it hadn't felt right using a weapon claimed from someone he'd killed.

He nodded in confirmation when Chie looked his way. "I have his sword."

"Any of this feeling familiar?" Mamoru asked under his breath in a caustic tone.

Taiki frowned. He hadn't thought of it like that. He wasn't so sure he wanted the bounty. Chie noticed his fallen expression and shot a look at Mamoru that caused him to back down.

"That's it? You didn't get anything else?" Haruki prodded. She'd come back with almost as much nothing as well, but she had the benefit of being the only one aware of her failures.

Chie's eyes narrowed, but she didn't rise to the bait. "I checked in with a few other friendly contacts, but nobody was willing to help us. If this were a quest I'm sure there would be plenty of volunteers, but not many people want to get tangled in a fight with other players."

"Everybody." Chie placed her palms on the table. "For all intents and purposes, we're on our own."

They'd all suspected it, but none were pleased to hear it. A round of dejected murmurs ran through the party.

"What now?" Taiki asked.

"I couldn't get much, but I did get same names." Chie stated, prompting Cedric to place a sheet of paper on the table top. "I stopped by the Chronicler and got a list of everyone that died the day we were ambushed."

Everyone leaned forward in their seats to get a better view of the list, save for Haruki, who was securely out of range.

"There were a total of twelve new deaths on the Chronicler's Count the morning after our battle. Quite a few." Chie stated sadly. She pointed at a couple names at the top of the list. "We can disregard these four. Junjie, Guiren, Mingzhu and Xiaodan all died in a failed run on the boss room of the fifty first floor."

Haruki's ears perked at two of the names, but she didn't show any reaction past that.

"With how many people died clearing that boss I'm amazed anyone would want to take a run at it." Mamoru commented.

Taiki had heard it mentioned a few times that the boss of the fifty first floor had been one of the toughest they'd come across for its level. The battle to clear it had marked the most deaths in one day since the months shortly after the game had begun over a year ago. To attack a boss like that without a clear need this soon felt like a very poor decision.

_Not that I can judge. _Taiki thought. _S__eems me and my party had been dumb enough to do the same._

"How do we know that?" Amber asked.

"They stopped by the Chronicler for her blessing before they set out." Chie answered.

"They asked for her what?" Devlin asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"Don't read too much into the wording. It's not too uncommon. Actually, it's becoming more popular lately." Cedric explained. "When some players go on particularly dangerous quests, they might ask the Chronicler to keep an eye on their names. That way, if they don't make it there won't be any mystery on how they died, and their friends will have some closure."

"It's not the most rational thing," Chie added, "but some feel a little safer thinking someone's somehow watching over them, indirectly as it is. The important thing here is that the Chronicler saw their name's crossed out as they died, matching the time they told her they'd be making their run."

Devlin let out a chuckle and crossed his arms. "I wasn't aware the Gravemaiden had become our patron saint of Aincrad."

"Don't call her that." Chie said sternly. She didn't much care for the more derogatory name the strange but benevolent waif had acquired among her detractors.

Devlin might have been about to contest the issue or ask what the problem was, but noticed the sincerity in Chie's expression. It was no secret the respect she had for the girl. He cleared his throat and issued a quiet apology.

When nobody spoke the party leader continued, pointing at a few other names. "More relevant to us, Midas is dead. Nobody took credit for it, far as we know, and it sounds like he managed to get away from the group of players that were watching while we questioned him."

"Didn't get very far." Devlin said casually, eliciting a frown from both Mamoru and Taiki.

"According to the Chronicler these three were sell swords. Mostly escorts." Chie pointed to the corresponding names. "A couple people last saw them leaving Sveltheim after we'd left. I believe Midas probably hired them. I think it's safe to say that whoever got to him got to them."

Everyone knew that was as relevant as that got. It wouldn't make any sense for a red group to kill a quest broker. They were worth much more alive and supplying than dead.

"Onto the ones that matter." Chie held the paper up. "Other than Eckhardt, there's Odila. From what I read from the bounty posting, she was his last target, and was suspected to be the reason he turned. I couldn't find any data on Ent or Sadler."

"We know he was the spotter who picked out Haruki." Devlin said, looking down the table.

The larger woman was much more willing to take any bait, imagined or otherwise. "What are you trying to say?"

"Quiet, both of you." Chie cut off the confrontation before it could form. "From here, we need to figure out a way to find out more about these people and whatever group they're with."

The commander of the Wayward Pact held her hands palms up. "Open floor, everybody. Any ideas?"

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It was more than an hour before the meeting ended after that, with no agreeable suggestions. Haruki, of course, had voiced her opinion that they remove their newest members. Her second idea was to try and formulate a way of using them as bait. Needless to say, neither idea sat while with said new members. Amber had the idea of trying to engage their enemy near a larger town so that they could try and call on any players to assist in the spot.

While nobody wanted to get involved in a red hunt if they didn't specialize in it, most people were also very defensive of towns, using the example of their encounter with Ren and his party. Despite their enemies already proving that some of them were willing to charge into towns, or at least a smaller outpost, they didn't want to bet too much on them being willing to come into a more fortified location or wit outside long enough for them to gather help.

Devlin had suggested hiring a tracker so they could use his animal, but for that to work they'd need to either contract a PK hunter or search for an independent tracker. Mamoru was vehemently against the former option, with everyone agreed either choice could prove costly over long periods of time. Taiki had thought to try and set an ambush of their own, but with so little information they didn't have a way to set things up. They were still sorely lacking in intel. When the ideas stopped flowing, the meeting was adjourned and everyone went their separate ways.

Taiki was sat on the back porch, where there was a small deck with a wooden bench to the left of the back door. Resting in his upturned hands was the odachi taken from his fallen attacker. The hilt was wrapped in blue cloth, with a simple steel pommel. The tsuba, or crossguard, was in the form of a seven pointed star that radiated out from the blade, meeting a ring of steel. The blade was of simple design, fashioned like an overly long katana, reaching a hundred sixty five centimeters, or about five and a half feet. In Eckhardt's hands it had looked over-sized, but in Taiki's it almost felt natural.

He couldn't appraise anything from it in terms of its manufacturer or components, but he could see all the he wanted. He could see the name of the previous owner and its stats, as well as the name of the weapon itself; _Nagai Tsume._ From what he could gather, it was a passably good blade that was probably worth almost as much as the bounty on its old owner's head. Whatever it was made from was fairly lightweight, making it weigh significantly less than it appeared to.

The back door opened, announcing Amber's exit onto the back porch. She waved her companion back inside and gestured to the empty spot to his left. "Mind if I sit down."

Taiki moved the long weapon out of the way and she took the spot beside him. "Before you ask, yes, I'm fine."

"I wasn't going to." She replied. "I believed you last time I asked."

Amber let her eyes wander over the blade of the odachi. "What are you going to do with it? Keep it?"

"Until I claim the bounty, I guess. I'm not sure I even want to do that." He answered. "After that I'll probably sell it."

He wiped a smudge from the flat of the blade, forming a question he wasn't sure how to ask. "You ever have to…y'know…"

Amber guessed where he was going quicker than he expected. "No. I've been close, I think, but I've never killed anyone."

Taiki looked ahead, into the back yard where a light breeze was softly blowing through a large oak tree. Neither of them said anything for the next few minutes, enjoying the quiet calm. A thought occurred to him, and he turned the blade around to hand it to her, handle first.

"Here. Think you can hold onto this for me?" He asked.

"You sure?" She reached out to accept it.

"Yeah, at least until we decide what to do with it." He added. "It's…"

Amber took hold of it and placed it over her lap. "It's heavy."

He knew what she was referring to. "Yeah."

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In the back room of the house, next to Brenda stood Devlin, watching the exchange through a rear window behind the bench his friend and Amber were sitting on. He hadn't intended to eavesdrop; he'd intended to converse with him, but Amber had beat him here. Not wishing to intrude, he slipped silently away from the two. What he'd heard had given him something else to dwell on, anyways.

A quick search of the house found Chie in the study. The room was of a generous size, with bookshelves making up the far and left walls. The right wall had a pair of windows opening to the outside, with a small round table with a single drawer. On either side of it against the walls were deep brown leather-bound chairs with studded backrests. In the center of the room was a large desk, facing away from the door, towards the far wall.

At the desk was Chie, trying to relax with a dense book. Surrounding her was the smell of chamomile tea, issuing from a still steaming little tea pot and her hagi ware cup. Her ears perked when he entered and she glanced behind her.

"We need to talk." Devlin stated, stepping into the room and closing the door.

"About what?" Chie folded the book shut and placed it on the desktop, swiveling the chair around to face him.

Devlin couldn't help but try and read the book's spine. He stepped around to the front of the desk, with Chie twisting the chair along to follow him. Once there, he pulled some papers from his right thigh pocket and placed them on the desk, besides the now shut novel. "I got these from Taiki. They're like a list of what's missing from his vocabulary."

Chie leaned forward to look them over. "That was my idea. I wanted to see if there was any sort of pattern between what he does and doesn't know, apart from not remembering anything about the outside world."

Her eyes wandered over the pages, with Devlin waiting. It wasn't long until she paused, her brow furrowing.

"You noticed it, too." He prompted.

Chie nodded in confirmation, giving the pages another once over.

"There is no pattern." Devlin twisted the pages around to face him. "It's all random."

He placed his finger over a spot a third of the way down one page. "Here, he wrote DVD."

Devlin flipped the page over. "But he wrote digital on the bottom of the other side."

He pointed to another page. "VHS isn't even on the same paper. And here, look, 'modem', next to 'nuclear' and 'capcom', and all the way at the bottom of the page is 'router', next to 'spain' and 'carburetor'. He didn't even capitalize the names of anything."

Chie was still reading through the words. "I was thinking he might subconsciously group words together based on their relations to each other, but you're right, these are all over the place. What do you think it means?"

Devlin gave an exaggerated shrug. "I was going to ask you that. Maybe that neither of us have any real idea how amnesia works. More importantly, he doesn't act like he should."

"What do you mean?" Chie asked.

"From what we know, he was supposed to have been a PK hunter, but he's been sulking ever since he killed Eckhardt." Devlin pointed towards the door to the study. "That man doesn't act like any hunter, especially not like we heard the Bloodhounds behaved. It's like someone swapped out General Zaroff for Prince Myshkin."

Chie blinked, confused. "Huh?"

"General Zaroff, from _The Most Dangerous Game_," He pointed to the book she'd been reading before he'd come in, "and Prince Myshkin from _The Idiot_."

"I just started reading it." She gestured to her bookmark, a few millimeters from the front cover. "I don't think I've heard of the other one."

Devlin waved his hands in front of himself. "Whatever, the point is that Taiki doesn't act like any red hunter I've ever heard of. Either our clues about who he is are wrong or whatever scrambled his brains did more damage than we thought."

"And we still don't have any idea what could have done that in the first place." Chie added. After a long sigh she continued. "Still, as compelling as this all is, we can't do much digging into this until our current problems are past us. After that, I promise I'll do what I can."

With nothing more to say, Devlin left the pages on the desktop and excused himself. With that discussion taken care of, he made his way to the quarters he'd laid claim to and sat on the bed. With little else productive to do and somewhat agitated by his confusion at Taiki, he opened his inventory and summoned the lockbox he'd pilfered from his old home. He hadn't felt the need to tell anyone about the home he'd sold after getting his icon back to green.

The pixelated haze took shape into the lockbox a little larger than a shoebox and dropped into his waiting hands. The design was simple but sturdy steel, with a heavy duty hinge on one end of the lid, and two lock tumblers on the front face. He rapped his knuckles on the top, producing a dull tone; the metal was thick. He doubted he could force it open.

Grabbing the box with both hands, he shook it. The item inside sounded like a solid block of something, with what sounded like scraps of paper or cloth and what might have been smaller metal piece. Slowly turning the box over in every which direction told him it was long than the box was tall, since it couldn't tip over inside, but was not a perfect rectangular brick. He stood from the bed and crossed the room to the table to the right of the door and placed it down, pulling the wooden chair out and sitting down.

Devlin propped the box onto its side so that the tumblers were facing straight up. He reached down to his left calf and dug his tools from the pocket inside his boot. Picks in hand, he set to work on the tumblers. It was quiet, methodical work. As time went by, it was also increasingly frustrating. The tumblers worked in parity. He could only raise one pin in a lock at a time, and the corresponding pin had to be picked in the other lock before he could move on to the next. Every time he made it to the fourth pins, the lock he wasn't currently working on would just short of spit out his tools, resetting its twin and putting him right back at the beginning.

_Dammit, Zerrin, you couldn't have gotten an easier box?_ He growled internally, even though such an idea obviously made no sense.

He didn't look towards the door. "Who's there?"

"It's me." Cedric replied. "Can I come in?"

Cedric hadn't really gone out of his way to socialize with Devlin since he'd joined them. He hadn't exactly given him the cold shoulder, but he likewise hadn't made much effort to befriend him.

Devlin succumbed to his curiosity, reaching out to unlock the door. "Sure."

Cedric gave the room a quick inspection, briefly pausing the on the outline on the wall over his dresser where the mirror used to be. If he had any question about it he didn't give voice to them. Instead, his attention landed on the lockbox and the tools. "Busy?"

"Yes." Devlin replied flatly. He didn't dislike the pretty boy so much as he didn't respect him. "Kinda am."

"You know you won't be able to open that on your own, right?" Cedric stepped into the room. "Want some help?"

"I've got it." Devlin returned to jiggling his tools, listening for the right clicking sound and feel.

"Dual locks are designed to be opened by two keys or picked by two players. They can't be forced open by one person." Cedric sat on the indent in the bed where Devlin had been before. "Not as far as I know, anyways."

Devlin grimaced as he almost broke his pick. "It just takes time and skill."

"Okay." Cedric placed his palms on his knees and watched him work. "I'm pretty good at lock picking, too, and I don't think you can open it."

Devlin didn't reply, focusing instead on the task at hand. Every minute or so he would get a pin, then move to the other tumbler, than back and forth again. He was at the fifth pin when his pick snapped and both locks reset.

"_God dammit._" He muttered through clenched teeth. He turned back to his guest, who had quietly watched the entire ordeal. "What did you _want_?"

Cedric shrugged. "We don't interact much. I wanted to try and get to know you a little more, just talk a little."

"Yeah, maybe we can swap beauty tips and you can tell me how you get your hair so pretty." Devlin tossed away his broken pick as it was disintegrating into pixels and summoned another. "You're still not sure how much you trust me, so you want to try and size me up."

"I'd know if I should trust you better if we interacted more." Cedric pointed out. He nodded his head towards the lockbox. "Whose box was that?"

"You do this with Taiki, too?" Devlin asked, inserting the new pick into one of the locks.

"No. Taiki's a lot more forthright." He glanced towards the door. "What we don't know about him is because he doesn't know, himself. With you, I feel more like you just don't tell us things."

"I'm an open book." Devlin replied sardonically. "What do you want to know about me?"

The sun had started to set, making it harder for Devlin to see his work. He placed his tools down long enough to light a candle on the table and place it near the lockbox.

"I admit at the moment I'm curious about the box." Cedric conceded. "Did you loot that during our vault run?"

"No, I've had this for a little while now." Devlin replied. He sensed Cedric would just ask about where he got it so he decided to answer him without any fuss. "It belonged to one of my old party mates."

"Which one?" Cedric leaned forward, placing his elbows on his knees. "Yukino, Zerrin or Xavior?"

"Huh?" Devlin blinked in surprise. He hadn't mentioned their names since they'd first met. "It was Zerrin's. I didn't steal it, or anything. He died and it got left behind."

"I wasn't going to suggest you had." Cedric looked from the box back to the one trying to open it. "Why are you still wearing your mask?"

Devlin's picked snapped. He let out a huff in frustration and summoned another. Despite them being the only two people in the room, both having seen Devlin's face, he was indeed still wearing his half mask, covering his face from the bridge of his nose down under black cloth.

"It's comfortable." He answered roughly.

Cedric decided not to push the topic. "So, what's in the box?"

"No idea." He admitted. It wasn't long until another pick broke.

Cedric stood up. "If you'd like to know, I can help."

Devlin leaned back in his chair, causing the wood to squeak. Defeated, he turned back to his guest and spoke in less abrasive tone. "You just want to know what's inside.

"Watching you fumble away at that thing for the last quarter hour has made me rather curious." The boy quipped.

With a sigh, Devlin nodded his head to beckon him forward and scooted his chair over. Cedric summoned his own chair from his inventory and placed it beside him. After he'd given the locks a brief inspection he brought out his own tools and inserted them into the left lock.

Progress with the two of them went smoothly, unlocking a pin about every thirty seconds with a satisfying click. They were six pins in before they spoke again, with Devlin breaking the silence.

"So," he started, not looking away from their work, "how _do_ you get your hair so pretty? I mean, I'm happy with mine, but I'm sure some of the ladyfolk around here might like to know your secret."

Cedric paused. "You know, I don't have to help you with this."

"Fair point."

On the eighth pin there was a more solid _thunk_ as the tumblers became unlocked and turned. With its defensives beaten, Devlin opened to lid to their inspection. Inside was an irregularly shaped brick of brilliantly azure blue metal. Around it were a few knuckle-sized silver ingots and an assortment of photographs. Devlin removed the pictures first, putting them into a neat stack while he shuffled through them.

They depicted a group of five people in various combinations through several locations. The first person Cedric recognized was Devlin. Other than him there was one woman and three other men. In some pictures they wore the same style of mask as Devlin, but he was the only one to wear his in every photo. He wasn't in many of the pictures, and he wasn't smiling in any of them.

"Looks like you found his photo album." Cedric commented. "Which is which?"

"That's Xavior; he was the party lead." Devlin pointed to a taller male in one of the group pictures with him and three others. "The one next to him was his girl, Yukino. The beefcake to the right was Zerrin."

"I thought you said there were four of you." Cedric pointed to a few pictures with the unnamed member. "Who's the fifth?"

"That's Feenyx." Devlin answered. "He didn't die with the rest of them. Different time different place."

"If you don't mind my asking," Cedric started, "how did he die?"

"Alone, and I do mind." Devlin placed the stack of photos back on the table and retrieved the ingots and metal brick. He held up the latter for inspection. "Looks like a crafting component."

Devlin placed the brick onto the tabletop and turned in his chair to face his guest. "Thanks, Cedric."

He picked up one of the silver ingots and tossed it to him.

It bounced off Cedric's chest, falling to his lap before his could catch it. "No problem."

The bishounen gestured towards the stack of photographs. "I'm glad I could help. It's good to have something to remember old friends by."

Devlin gave a one-sided smile, going through the rest of the photos. "Yeah. This means a lot to me."

His guest stood up and returned his wooden chair to the ether. He could sense this had become a personal moment. "Well, I'll leave you alone, then."

Cedric excused himself and left the room, leaving Devlin sitting alone at the table. He reappraised the metal brick, finding it to be a fairly high quality base component, though not of enough quantity to make a full sized weapon.

_Zerrin did always like his daggers._ He mused. _This would make a couple of really nice little blades._

He frowned as his attention moved back to the photographs. He swept them up in his hands and tapped them against the table to straighten out the stack, lingering on the top picture. It was a group photo with all five of them. Four smiling faces and one masked frown. He rolled the photos up, finished with them. After a glance at the door, he stood up to lock it. Returning to the table, he held the roll of photos over the candle. The flame spread to the glossy paper, slowly consuming it. He watched silently as the flame worked its way up. Not long after it been reduced to a small pile of ash on the tabletop. With a sweep of his hand, he dispersed it into the air, and nothing remained.

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_He was falling, tumbling end over end. He could hear screaming; a single voice. The Man looked around himself, but could only see an empty void on all sides. Another bodiless voice joined the first, then another, and another, adding together in a cascading wave until there were so many he couldn't discern any individuals. The Man covered his ears against the barrage of screams, clenching his eyes shut. His voice joined theirs, but he was completely drowned out._

_Suddenly, there was silence. He saw red light through his eyelids. He opened them just in time to crash into the water. The Man flailed, trying to reach the surface, but his armour weighed him down, pulling him into the depths. Finally, he reached the bottom, alighting softly on his feet as they sank into the silt of the lake bed. _

_His lungs burned as he lost the fight to his urge to breathe, and with a gasp, he found that he could. The Man wasn't even wet. Shafts of scintillating light shown down through the water's surface above him. Around him were short stalks of seaweed and other underwater plants gently swaying in the water, but no other creatures besides himself. He took a step towards the shore and his foot sank until the silt spilled over the top of his boot. His next step sank to the ankle. The next, up to his calf. The Man jerked his foot to free himself, but it stayed put, and he stumbled forward. His hands reach out to catch himself as he dropped to his hands and knees, and his arms sank into the mire up to his forearms._

_In a flash, the water was gone and everything was dry. The Man looked around himself; all the plants had turned brown and withered. The silt had turned to dried mud, encasing his limbs. With a hard yank, he freed his right hand. The earth around it broke like clay. His left took more effort; the first pull only cracked the ground around it, and on the next pull, those cracks spread to his flesh. Fissures worked their way up his arm, and with a sound like a shattering plate his arm was free, having broken off halfway down his forearm, leaving the other end buried in the earth._

_The Man recoiled in shock, and the cracks spread to his legs. His left foot pulled free, grinding like porcelain as the breaks reach up to his knees. His right foot broke off at the ankle, the jagged stump skittered against the desiccated earth as he stepped down. Off balance, he tried to catch himself on his left, and his leg crumbled up to his thigh. The Man toppled forward, his arms shattering like glass as he tried in vain to save himself._

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Taiki awoke just before his forehead hit the floor with a _thud_. His legs and lower body were still on the bed, with his blanket tangled around his knees. Too far gone to be able to right himself, he rolled, pulling his legs onto the floor with him. He scrunched forward, unwrapping his limbs. Once he was free he tossed the sheet back onto the bed and pulled himself to his feet.

He closed his eyes and rubbed at his head where he'd impacted the floor, checking the clock on his HUD. It was just after two thirty in the morning. Taiki let out an agitated sigh; he was wide awake. Thankfully, there was nobody else in the room for him to wake with his late night tumble. The house was large enough that they each had their own rooms, save for Brenda and Amber, and Haruki and Mamoru. He was dressed in simple pajamas consisting of a pair of shorts and a t-shirt.

He thought he heard a quiet sound like clinking glass down the hall. Taiki strained his ears, listening, and heard it again. Curious who else might be up at this hour, he opened his door and softly padded towards it. He arrived at the threshold to the common room to see that the fireplace was lit with a small flame. The entrance he stood in was at the left end of its wall, with the fireplace in the middle of the wall to his right. In front of the fire was a short cabinet table with a pair of chairs facing towards it. In the farther chair sat the figure who had presumably set it alight. Chie stared into the softly burning fire a moment before her ears perked as she sensed his presence.

"Taiki?" She asked as she turned towards him.

He wasn't well lit, but he was the only person she knew with a silhouette as large as his. Taiki stepped into the room. "Sorry if I'm intruding."

"Don't worry about it." Chie replied. Taiki noticed a bottle of something on the table, and a glass in her hand. "Trouble sleeping?"

He nodded. "Guess I'm not the only one."

A pop in the fire grabbed Chie's attention and she glanced back towards it. Taiki was surprised by how she looked. She appeared tired, not just from the late hour.

Chie noticed his concerned expression. "What?"

He quietly made his way over to stand beside the empty chair. "Are you okay?"

"I'm alright." She answered, with a tone that told him that much wasn't true.

Chie patted the chair, bidding him to sit down. "So, what's keeping _you_ up? That mess from our last fight bothering you?"

"No. I mean, yes, a little, but not right now." Taiki answered, accepting the offered seat. "I don't like it, but I'm past it."

"You sure?" Chie placed her glass on the table. It was a quarter full of what looked like brandy. "I said we could talk about it if you need to."

"Thanks, but-" Taiki thought he could recognize what was happening. She was looking for a problem to fix. Something to distract her. He remembered he wasn't the only person to kill someone at the ambush. "Chie…I'm here for you, too."

With a long sigh she looked back into the flames. After a false start she let it out. "I…I killed a kid."

Taiki recalled his name. "Sadler."

"He couldn't've been older than maybe fourteen, fifteen." Chie wiped a hand over her face.

"He didn't give you any other options." Taiki tried to sound comforting.

"I know." Chie said. "I know that. We were under attack and we defended ourselves. This isn't the first time I've had to end somebody. Truth is I barely even remember the other guy, with how fast he went down."

He remembered the conversation they'd been having before the attack. "Did he…did he remind you of your son?"

"No, not really. That's not even what's bothering me." Chie slouched in her seat. "The fact is, somewhere out there is someone who's never going to see their child again just so I could have a chance of getting back to mine."

"You can't blame yourself for that."

"I don't," She repeated, "but it's something I can't help but think of. I know it wasn't my fault, but that doesn't make his blood on my hands feel any cleaner."

She took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. "I'll be fine. I just need a few moments to work this out of my system. I'll be ready to deal with the others in his group however we need to once the time comes. I just…I just need a minute."

Taiki let her words sink in, the both of them staring into the dwindling fire. Tomorrow she would likely be back to her usual self, projecting stability and strength. For the moment, she was the one that could use the support.

"Do you want me to leave," He made no move to do so, "or should I stay a while?"

She pulled another glass from her inventory, and after he nodded in acceptance, filled it half way from the bottle of brandy. "As long as you're offering."

He took a sip of the beverage, feeling it burn its way down his throat. "Your son, what's his name?"

She managed a shallow smile. "Takara."

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Taiki jerked awake with a combination of a start and a snort. He remembered Chie falling asleep before him, still sitting in the chair. He'd stayed put, not wanting to disturb her by getting up himself. His HUD told him it was shortly after eight thirty in the morning. The chair to his left was empty, Chie apparently haven gotten up before him. Draped over him was a now familiar pink and purple striped blanket. He stood to his feet and stretched out his back with a series of stiff pops, wondering how Devlin could stand to sleep sitting up so often.

After folding the blanket and placing it on the chair, he walked towards the kitchen as the smell of something cooking greeted his senses. Taiki entered the dining room to see most of the party already gathered at the table, save for Cedric and Amber, who he could hear in the connected kitchen. Everyone else had already taken positions at the long table identical to the day before. Plates full of pieces of an unfamiliar, soft looking meat and poached eggs were in front of Devlin and Chie, the former item being supplied from a large pan in the center of the table sitting next to a basket of stiff looking loafs of bread.

Devlin spotted him first. His mask was still on but pulled down around his neck. "Morning. Was wondering when you were going to get up. Hungry?"

Breakfast sounded fairly appealing. "Yeah."

He took a seat and leaned forward to inspect the dish. "What is it?"

"Mussels." Devlin answered. "Fresh caught yesterday."

Chie washed down a mouthful with a drink from a glass of water. "Thanks for sharing these with everyone."

"I had a couple bags." Devlin replied. "Even in your inventory, seafood doesn't keep very long."

Taiki noted that while Mamoru was enjoying the offered meal, Haruki had elected to refuse, instead eating a chuck of cured beef. Cedric and Amber finished their task in the kitchen joined the rest of them at the table, with Amber transferring a freshly poached egg to his plate.

"Thank you." Taiki said, divvying out a portion of the mussel meat, giving a piece of it an inquisitive sniff before taking a bite. "This is really good."

"Thank Cedric, he did all the cooking." Amber replied with a smile. "I just watched and fetched ingredients."

Taiki did so, while Amber gave Devlin an unusually awkward look. If he had to guess, she appeared embarrassed.

"Hey, Devlin." She started. He gave a grunt in reply. "Um, sorry about yesterday."

"Don't worry about it." He replied with a smirk, stabbing a bit of meat on his fork and coating it in the remains of an egg. "Lucky for me, the water wasn't cold."

"What does-" She blinked in realization. A bit of red worked its way into her face for reasons Taiki couldn't follow, "-oh."

Devlin quickly changed the topic before anyone could ask what exactly they were talking about, leaving Amber looking even more embarrassed. Apart from Haruki sulking at the foot of the table, the group meal was pleasantly jovial. Chie was quiet for the most part, but Taiki was happy to see she looked well rested. He smiled; it was nice to see everyone together, getting along for the most part. With the exception of Devlin, nobody had any armour on, and the most anyone was armed with were daggers and knives, more for the familiar weight and utility than anything else.

"You harvested quite a few of these." Cedric commented. "It must've taken quite a while."

Devlin shrugged. "Eh, 'bout an hour or so, I think. They were just deep, is all, but you can get that kind of stuff done a lot faster if you don't come up for air."

Taiki was surprised by the last statement. "How long can you hold your breath?"

Devlin finished his meal and pulled his mask back over his face. "'Bout a minute and a half, maybe two if I'm not moving."

"And you were underwater that entire time?" Amber asked.

"No." Devlin chuckled. "It took me twenty minutes to fill the first bag, then I was under for about forty filling the other one."

Amber paused before taking another bite. "Wait, is that why you threw up when you came out of the water?"

Slowly, everyone else at the table was tuning into the conversation.

"Yeah," Devlin answered like it was obvious, "can't hold my breath for twenty minutes."

"So," Taiki wanted to make sure he understood what he was hearing, "you spent almost an accumulated hour…drowning yourself?"

Devlin shrugged again. "I guess."

"Didn't that hurt?" Taiki asked.

"Oh yeah," Devlin laughed. "like, the entire time. SAO may dull it down, but the game's not without its pain, and drowning still feels like drowning."

Taiki thought back to when his arm had broken. That had certainly been an unpleasant feeling. "But, don't we need to breathe?"

"At our level it can take quite a while to drown," Mamoru said matter-of-factly, "and it's impossible to take any damage within the town's safe zone."

"No it isn't." Devlin corrected. "You can still take damage in towns."

"The Inner Area effect in towns protects players from any harm." Mamoru insisted.

"From other players." Devlin said, placing his elbows on the table. "There's still environmental damage."

"He's right." Cedric chimed in. "That's not how the Inner Area effect works. Contrary to popular belief, you're not completely invulnerable in towns."

Cedric switched to an academic tone. "The Inner Area effect actually has a few layers, once you look into it. The first is that players are immune to any attack, be it from other players or otherwise, but there's still fall damage and damage from asphyxiation. However, while under the Inner Area effect, the minimum height for fall damage is doubled, and health regeneration is boosted significantly, enough to outpace health lost to drowning. All of this is, of course, not accounting for duels, where all of these effects are disabled."

Seeing that everyone had finished their meals, Cedric got up to start dutifully clearing the plates. "So, you're partially right, somewhat. He couldn't die from drowning while in the safe zone, and I don't know if there are any buildings large enough to die from a fall in any town."

"Huh," Taiki grunted, processing everything, "good to know."

All eyes turned to Haruki as she suddenly spoke up, a little louder than needed. "How much longer are we going to hide here?"

"As long as we need. Until we can put together a solid plan." Chie answered. "But there's no reason we can't move to another out of the way town if this place starts getting old."

"The problem isn't this town." Haruki balled her fists on the table top. "We should be doing something more proactive."

"We just need a little more time to think." Chie said, more sternly as the atmosphere started to shift. "We need to think of a way to get more information without putting us at too much risk. We don't even know how many of them there are."

"And then what?" Haruki prompted.

"Then, we deal with this however we need." Chie said in a resigned tone. "Ideally, I'd like to try and speak with one of them."

Haruki shot to her feet. "What!"

"I realize it's not very likely." Chie admitted, her eyes started to narrow. "They certainly haven't been very willing so far. They have your name, at least; if they wanted to, they could have messaged you at any time. What I mean is if we could separate one, I'd like to speak with him. It's not like I expect us to be able to solve this diplomatically, but things would be easier if we knew what they wanted."

"We already know who they want." The larger woman shot a look at Taiki and Devlin.

"Probably," Chie didn't follow her gaze, "but I won't act on assumptions, and even if they are the original targets, I won't judge or abandon them without knowing why."

"Then what do you expect to do?" Haruki leaned forward, palms on the table.

"Deal with this, until it's no longer a problem." Chie's tone remained even and calm. "If it comes down to it, we bury all of them. If that doesn't work. I hear living in the Starting City isn't too bad."

The first choice was the more favourable to Haruki. "And after we're done with them, what then?"

She pointed at the two newest members of their party. "What about them?"

"Once we're in the clear, assuming we're all still alive, they're welcome to stay. They're a part of this team." Chie turned towards Taiki. "I haven't given up on looking for Taiki's past."

Haruki slammed her fists on the table, causing a few of them to flinch as the table jolted. "They're the reason we're in this mess! That's it!"

She looked down at her still seated husband. "I'm through with this. We're leaving!"

"Huh?" Mamoru bleated.

"If Chie wants to get herself killed, that's fine by me, but I'm won't die with her." She started to turn towards the door. "We aren't coming back."

"I can't let you go." Chie said, an edge creeping into her voice.

Haruki paused, venom dripping from her tone. "_Excuse me?_"

Chie slowly stood. "If I let you leave, you put all of us at risk, yourself included."

The larger woman set her feet. "Bullshit. They're after these two. They don't have any reason to come after us. _You're_ the ones that've killed their people."

Chie cringed, but didn't falter. "Tell me, who was it they spotted back in Sveltheim?"

Haruki frowned in realization.

"Do you really think they'll know or care if you're no longer a member of this team? If you leave, they'll find you. You're too bullheaded to go anywhere unnoticed." Chie said sharply. "Once they get you, they'll either kill you, or, since there's only two of you, capture you, and use you to draw the rest of us out."

Mamoru softly spoke up. "She's right."

"We're better with the two of us than letting you lead us right to them." Haruki countered, ignoring Mamoru's statement.

"You don't have to fight with us," Chie pulled herself to her full height, "but until this is settled, I cannot let you leave this party."

Taiki looked between the two women. This had taken a turn he had not seen coming.

Haruki crossed her arms in defiance. "Try and stop me!"

Chie took a long, deep breath, letting it out as a disappointed sigh. "Everybody. Outside."

Cedric stood without hesitation and started towards the nearest exit. When nobody else moved out of uncertain surprise, she looked over the group. "_Now._"

Taiki started to comply, but was stopped by Chie. "Not you. Taiki and Mamoru, you stay."

The two men looked to each other, then to her, with Taiki asking the obvious question. "Why?"

She waited until the rest of the party had cleared out to answer. "Because, a proper duel needs witnesses."

Haruki's expression shifted, sensing the severity in her former commander's words. "You don't scare me."

"Here are my terms." Chie opened her menu, selecting the relevant options. "You win, you leave, but know this; I will not help you when they find you. You and your husband will die."

Chie sent the challenge. "Still, I don't want to see that happen to either of you if I can stop it. I win, you stay with our party until we are sure our enemy is no longer a threat. Then, you're free to go, and are no longer welcome in our team. Is this acceptable?"

Haruki opened her menu. The challenge was a first to red duel. With only a slight hesitation she pressed the accept button. She couldn't back down from such a direct challenge. In truth, a part of her had been hoping for this ever since she'd backed down the last time. There was a chiming tone as a countdown appeared suspended in the air between them. "Deal."

Chie directed the witnesses to the side. "You two, stay out of the way."

Haruki had opened her menu, searching for a shorter weapon that would be suited for the confines of their indoor fight. She settled on a hand axe.

Chie summoned a short sword and, while keeping eye contact with her opponent, dropped it on the table without unsheathing it. Her dagger was pulled her hip and placed alongside it. Haruki comprehended her meaning as the unarmed woman made her way around the table. Not wanting to appear weaker, she placed her hand axe on the table as well. Once Chie had stepped around to her, she took a fighting stance, with her head tucked forward and her hands raised in semi-crouching boxing pose. Haruki took a more upright stance of her own.

Taiki sized the two of them up. He knew that, without any weapons, the fight could end up rather drawn out without the heavy use of unarmed system skills.

Haruki smirked. "Y'know, I think I might enjoy this. Gonna kick your ass."

She caught sight of her husband, his eyes locked on hers as he shook his head slightly but quickly from side to side in the negative. He looks like he was about to watch a car crash. Haruki had never sparred with Chie before; he had.

With a gong, the countdown finished and the duel began. Pushing any doubts from her mind, Haruki struck first, snapping her fist out in a right hook. The blow was completely halted by Chie's forearm. With a grunt of effort, Haruki sent her left fist straight forward at her face. Without giving any ground, Chie warded the blow off to the side, as well as a third strike immediately after. An attempted gut punch was halted by Chie rotating her left arm clockwise into a low block. Perceiving an opening, Haruki raised her other hand and brought it down in a hammer blow.

Chie brought her right arm up to catch it, sweeping it aside, leaving Haruki wide open for a counterattack. Instead, she quickly reached out her left hand and softly flicked her in the forehead before taking a quick two steps in retreat.

Haruki blinked, momentarily dumbfounded by the unexpected move. Her face contorted into rage at the blatant insult and went back onto the offensive. She advanced on her commander, sending blow after blow. Chie let her, retreating step for step, blocking, redirecting or ducking away from each strike. Taiki watched the two as they moved around the room, wondering why Chie wasn't making any attacks of her own.

_Is she toying with her? _He thought. That wasn't like her. _No, she gauging her strength._

Haruki must have had the same thought, but landed on the opposite answer. She set her feet, left forward, and rotated her torso clockwise to have her left shoulder pointed towards Chie, with her right fist drawn back.

"_God Dammit!_" Haruki growled. Her fist flared orange as she activated a system skill. "_Stop jerking me around!"_

She closed the distance between them and sent a simple but heavy straight punch directly at the center of Chie's chest. In response, Chie brought her forearms together, hands pointed towards the ceiling, pressed flat against her chest to meet the blow. Her feet skidded against the floor as she was pushed back half a meter. A sliver of green disappeared from Chie's health bar as the un-augmented block was unable to absorb the entirety of the strike's damage.

Haruki pressed the attack, sending a left hook, followed by another skill augmented punch that forced Chie to use a blocking skill the first time since the duel had begun. Before the defensive skill could finish its cool down, Haruki delivered another flurry of strikes. With a scarlet glow, she used a skill assisted left backhand to batter Chie's arm out of the way, creating an opening just long enough for her to land a manual right hook onto Chie's jaw.

The party lead spun with the blow, crouching down and spinning a full three sixty as she retreated out of arms reach, coming back up in to a ready stance. Through the course of all their movement, Chie was back where she'd started, with the dining table next to them to their left. Chie was standing near the head, with Haruki closer to where Mamoru had been.

"Alright," Chie rubbed her jaw and set her right foot forward, "now we can begin."

Twice insulted now, Haruki bellowed in anger and charged, using a short range dash attack. Chie advanced on her own power to meet her, recognizing the pose and ducking under the approaching attack before Haruki had started to flash towards her. She stepped her left foot forward and struck out the corresponding arm in a straight punch that sank into Haruki's solar plexus as her dash thrust her upon it. Chie was pushed back a few inches from the force of Haruki's advance, but the larger woman was doubled over with a pained grunt as the air was forced from her lungs. Her own strike swung over Chie's head, hitting nothing.

Before Haruki could right herself, Chie sidestepped to her right, grabbed the bun of hair at the back of her head with her right hand and forced it down as she raised her left knee to meet her face. Taiki winced at the wet crunch as her nose broke. Pulling on her hair, Taiki raised her opponent's head back up, only to force it down again into the tabletop. Chie let go and raised her left hand high. Her fist glowed yellow as she swung it downwards. Haruki reacted just fast enough, moving out of the way of the strike as Chie's fist broke a hand sized chunk off the table's edge. Still low, Haruki shoved her shoulder into Chie's gut, wrapping her arms around her waist and lifting her off her feet in a suplex, dropping her onto her back behind her. She pivoted on one foot, raising the other to try and stomp on her face, but Chie rolled out of the way, under the table.

The table was snapped in two as Haruki brought both her fists down in hammer blows, shining red. Already up onto her knee under the smaller half of the table, Chie stood, lifting the slab of wood and shoving it into Haruki like a tower shield. With more strength than either her opponent or Taiki expected, she forced her opponent back, down the length of where the table had previously stood until they hit the wall, rattling the contents of a nearby shelf from the impact. Haruki had just tossed the wood aside in time to receive a forceful right hook, sending her head to her left, into the shelf and knocking it from the wall.

Chie was in the middle of following up with another strike when Haruki reach out and managed to grab her by her shirt. Straining the fabric, she pulled her into a head-butt, then pushed her into the wall to her left near the opening to the common room while she was still reeling. She tried to strike at her face with a system skill using her off hand, but Chie was able to lean out of its path, leaving the fist to splinter the wood panel behind her. Unable to beat Haruki's entire grip, Chie grabbed her thumb with her right hand and her index finger with her left and wrenched the two fingers free of their sockets.

Haruki let out a sharp cry and released her. Chie latched onto her still outstretched forearm and twisted in close, putting her opponent off balance and standing directly in front of the doorway to the common room. Chie took a quick leap back, set her feet and crouched like a linebacker. She charged into her, lifting her off her feet as they barreled into the next room. Haruki's hands slapped against either side of the threshold as she tried to grab on, leaving gouges in the frame as they passed through.

The sound of a body slamming into a wall announced the end of the charge, leaving a nonplussed Taiki and Mamoru in the ruined dining room. The two of them shared a surprised look at the unexpected turn of events the morning had taken. The sound of splintering wood prompted them to follow the duelists into the common room.

Chie was pacing a few meters from Haruki, allowing the woman time to shove her fingers back into their sockets. Behind Haruki was a bookshelf, with some of its contents knocked loose to the floor by their combined impact. Next to them was the shattered remains of a small end table. With a discomforting pop, Haruki's thumb slid back into place. She clenched her fist a few times to make sure everything worked as it should, then eyed her opponent with newfound caution. It was clear that at least one of them had made several gross miscalculations leading to this point.

Chie stopped her pacing. "Last chance. We can end this now or I can take you apart."

Haruki scowled, moving to resume their fight. "I won't be threatened by you."

Chie set her stance. "So be it."

Once in range the two women leapt at each other, fists radiating angry reds and oranges, leaving coloured afterimages streaking through the air as they battled. Taiki was struck by the rapidity of their movements. Chie was a flurry of manual strikes mixed with system strengthened attacks. Despite the moment of rigidity after the use of each skill, it had little effect on their hand to hand fight.

The use of any weapon skill had a few key steps. First, there was the activation pose, followed a split second after by the execution. Lastly was the moment of complete rigidity after it was finished. This moment of vulnerability was to balance out the higher damage and greater speed and force delivered from a system skill. The length of time one was stuck depended on the weight of the attack. A heavy blow from a greataxe could do massive damage, but would leave one rigid the longest.

As the weapons and attacks got smaller and lighter, the amount of time one would be stuck in the physical cool down shortened. A dagger would do much less damage than the greataxe, but the wielder could use system skills with less fear of being left open. In this regard, use of a heavy skill was a gamble. A successful hit with a heavy blow could tip the fight in your favour, while a failed strike could lose it.

On the bottom end of this scale was the pugilist skill tree. They were unique in that most of them could be used either with their weapon set, or barehanded. Using them with no weapon had almost no physical cool down. While unarmed attacks using skills did the least amount of damage, they could be performed with almost no time after their use.

Taiki was torn from his analysis when Haruki managed to catch one of Chie's punches. Chie jerked back, but the larger woman's stronger grip held fast. She made a jab of her own, and Chie caught hers. Haruki lifted their hands above her shoulders and tried to force her down. Chie sank to one knee under the weight, prompting a grin from Haruki, somewhat marred by her still broken nose. Suddenly, Chie moved their hands to the sides, arms outstretched like a cross. With the resistance to her efforts unexpectedly gone, Haruki stumbled downwards while Chie surged back up, driving the crown of her head into her face, breaking Haruki's nose a second time.

She twisted her hands free and clapped them over Haruki's ears. It was almost as disorienting as it was in the real world. Haruki reeled back as a trio of punches landed across her face, followed by a strike that cracked one of her floater ribs.

The larger woman didn't bother trying to block the next attack, letting a left hook connect with her jaw as she sent a much heavier strike into Chie's. Chie spun away from the force of it, leaving her open to a follow-up haymaker. With a bit more distance between them, Haruki lifted a gleaming foot, snapping it straight out in a kick.

Chie took the brunt of it right into the center of her chest, sending her toppling over the leather-bound chair she'd spent the previous night in. Haruki moved to press the advantage, but Chie was already onto her feet, launching herself in a running leap off the upended furniture. She landed to Haruki's side, with her fist plowing into her face, laying her out. There was a loud thud as Haruki fell flat on her back, rolling away just in time for her face to miss a crimson stomp that left a dent in the floorboard.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The rest of the party stood in the backyard, listening to the commotion issuing from inside. Unable to see any of the action, they simply stared at the back wall of the house. They could hear something or someone heavy slam into something solid, followed by shattering glass.

"They've been at this a few minutes now." Amber commented.

Devlin frowned. "This sucks. They should have fought outside."

"I know." Cedric dipped his head, resting his face in one of his palms. "This place is a rental; we're going to have to pay for everything they break."

"No, I meant they should be doing this out here where it's easier to watch." Devlin corrected. The boy shot him a dry look. "So, anyone want to place bets on the winner?"

"Chie, obviously." Cedric replied. As her second command he couldn't vote any other way.

"Chie." Amber agreed with a nod.

Brenda thought a moment. "Chie."

Everyone turned to the NPC at the unbidden statement, save for Cedric. The boy flinched, then opened his menu to view his inbox.

"Wow, that obvious?" Devlin asked. They could hear Haruki give a shrieking bellow of a war cry, abruptly ending with an impact that sounded meaty, yet boney, but altogether painful. "Yeah, Chie it is."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Taiki had watched the duel with a growing respect for Chie, not that he hadn't already respected her before. It was clear throughout the fight that she was faster, more skilled and all around a better fighter than her opponent. Despite Haruki having a significant weight advantage and greater bulk, the larger woman wasn't actually that much stronger. Still, while Chie was a damage dealer, Haruki was the tank. Haruki was built around taking whatever anyone threw at her, and the state of the room attested to the fact it was taking a lot to put her down. There wasn't a single piece of furniture in the common room that wasn't toppled, smashed or some combination of both.

Chie eyed her insubordinate opponent as the two briefly caught their breath. Apart from a missing tooth, Chie was no worse for wear. Haruki, on the other end, was drawing pained, ragged breaths, one of her broken ribs perhaps jabbing into her lung. Her bun had come loose, her hair in wild tangles. There was also the complication of her partially unhinged jaw, hanging lopsided. Chie had taken her share of hits, but her health was still firmly rooted in the green, while Haruki's had tipped into the yellow.

Taiki saw Mamoru wince in sympathy as his wife took a moment to work her jaw back into place, and understood why he was Chie's witness instead of Cedric. If Mamoru tried to intervene, he was easily large enough to prevent him. This had to play out to its conclusion uninterrupted.

"Are we done?" Chie asked, giving her another chance to give in.

Prideful as ever, Haruki only scowled deeper and put her dukes up. Their commander slowly shook her head in disappointment, but readied herself as well. Chie didn't wait for Haruki to come to her and moved in to finish her. She ducked under Haruki's initial hook, returning a pair of solid blows of her own. The larger woman had slowed, tiring out. An attempted grapple was swatted aside, leaving Haruki open for another trio of rapid strikes. Each blow pushed Haruki back, forcing her on the retreat, until her back met the wall and she couldn't retreat any further.

Desperate for some room, Haruki pushed off the wall and roughly shoved at Chie with both hands. She struck out her foot in another straight kick to try and keep her distance. Chie let the blow land, taking it to her gut and clamping her hands over the foot, trapping it in place. Haruki wobbled, stuck on one leg. With a quick twist and a snap, Chie wrenched Haruki's foot farther around than the joint was capable, dislocating it. She then quickly stepped back, dragging Haruki along with her, forcing her to hop after, letting go of the leg and sidestepping while Haruki was in mid hop.

The larger woman landed on the foot reflexively and it rolled, unable to support her. She sank to one knee in time for Chie to step around and deliver a downwards punch to her left temple. Unable to stand, Haruki swept her right arm around in a backhand, but Chie caught it at the wrist with her right hand. Chie pulled on the arm to extend the joint, then sent her left hand in a searing red palm strike into the elbow. Haruki let out an involuntary wail as the joint folded the wrong way with a splintering snap. Taiki cringed; he could see the bones of the joint tenting her skin.

Chie followed up by moving her hands along her arm, grabbing the elbow and upper arm, forcing it around behind Haruki's back in an arm lock. After a bit of resistance, Chie jerked the arm up, removing the right shoulder from its socket with another pop and a shout. Mamoru took a step forward, but Taiki placed an arm in front of him, blocking his path and giving him a sympathetic look.

With half of Haruki's limbs disabled, Chie stepped directly behind Haruki and knelt down, wrapping both of her hands around Haruki's chin and head. The broken woman's eyes widened as she realized what was about to happen and tried to shake her off, flailing at her with her remaining functional arm. After a couple failed attempts, Chie adjusted her grip and twisted Haruki's head around until she was looking directly at Chie behind her. With her neck broken and her spine severed, Haruki's body went limp. Chie let go, letting her flop forward onto her stomach, her face almost pointed towards the ceiling.

An inappropriately happy series of chimes announced the end of the duel while a panel appeared above Chie, partially clipping into the ceiling announcing her victory. The commander of the Wayward Pact took a knee beside her defeated opponent, looking down to speak to her.

"Here's how this is going to work," She began, "I won't force you to fight for us or even help us. We can stay out of each other's way from here on, but until this problem is dealt with, you _are_ coming with us."

She held up a hand towards Mamoru to tell him to stay put. She wasn't finished. "Understand this, I will do what I feel is needed to keep my team safe from any threat."

Chie stood, glaring down at her twitching adversary. "Do not become a threat. Are we clear?"

Haruki glared back up at her, but the look lost its intimidating effect when the head issuing it was backwards.

"_Are we clear?_" Chie repeated in a shout.

"Yes." Mamoru answered.

Chie didn't respond; she hadn't asked him.

Haruki broke eye contact, her mangled throat managed a gurgling croak of a reply. "We're clear."

"Good." Without further ado, she did an about face and left the room, heading outside.

Taiki let Mamoru rush over to his wife, softly taking hold of her head and helping it back into place. A broken bone or joint would eventually fix themselves, but Taiki wasn't about to make him wait to reassemble her. With no reason or desire to be here, he followed after Chie, leaving the shattered woman and her husband alone in the ruined room. The last painting left on one of the walls fell to the floor as Taiki closed the back door upon his exit.

Outside, Chie was already addressing her party.

"Cedric, settle our accounts and see that the damages are paid." She said, fixing her hair. "We're moving. Taiki, until we figure out what we're doing next, I want you to keep an eye on Haruki. Mamoru's smart enough that he knows running off will get them killed, but if she tries anything foolish, let me know immediately."

Taiki nodded in the affirmative. Cedric, however, looked anxious to speak.

"I think I know where we should go next." The boy opened his menu, tabbing over to his inbox. "I think I have a lead for us to follow."

With a press of his finger, he opened the message he'd received while they'd been waiting outside. With another press, his menu rotated around to face her so that she could read it. It was a short message, but it greatly changed their plans. Cedric had finally gotten the response he'd been waiting for from Otto.

* * *

Author's Notes: Bit more character stuff I wanted to work in, as well as the explanations for a couple SAO systems I wanted to address.

One of the things I wanted to accomplish with this fic is to have characters that are enjoyably dissimilar from characters in most fics. I'd like to think I've at least partially accomplished that, if not with Taiki, then at least with Chie. I admit she's become a favoured character of mine.

As for the fight scene with her and Haruki wrecking two rooms, I figure that by whatever level it takes to get to the fifty first floor out of a hundred, players are probably significantly tougher than their domestic environments, at least when using system skill based attacks. I hope the fight scene didn't drag on too long, but I couldn't have it end too quickly with neither party using weapons.

On that note, if you're seeing this, thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it.


	17. Chapter 15: One Step Forward

The party, excluding Haruki and Mamoru, were gathered in the common room. They'd given enough time for him to mend his wife and vacate the area. The two were getting an early start on keeping to themselves, packing their belongings in their bedroom. The only furniture in the room to have survived the fight were the two sturdy leather clad chairs Taiki and Chie had rested on the night before, though upended and lying in the remains of the table that had sat between them.

Chie was sitting on one of these chairs but hadn't bothered to turn it upright, leaving it on its side. Leaning against the wall was Devlin, arms crossed, in the depression left from when Chie's charge had rammed Haruki into it. Amber and Brenda were on the opposite end of the room from him, near the entrance to the kitchen. The two had dragged in a pair of the chairs from around the destroyed table into the common room. Taiki had elected to stand, putting himself between Devlin and Chie.

All eyes were on Cedric, who was standing in front of the fireplace. He'd given them a basic idea of what he had to tell them, but had yet to go into the details. The boy coughed into his hand as he took a moment to prepare whatever he was about to say.

"Okay," He said in a low tone, more to himself, "start from the beginning."

Cedric continued at a more audible volume. "Everyone remembers Zahnri, right?"

"Of course we do." Devlin stated.

"The guy with the paralyzer coated knives." Amber added.

"Well, after that attack, I still had a few of his daggers. Even before we were attacked again later there was something that didn't sit right with me, so I decided to see if I could find anything out about our ambushing bandits." Cedric explained. "They were the only clue I had, so I had someone analyze the leftover poison residue on the blades to see if we could track where they were from or who'd made them. I don't really know anything about alchemy or poisons, so I honestly wasn't expecting much from it at first."

"I take it you got something?" Chie prompted.

"I do." Cedric confirmed, turning to her. "You know Otto?"

She nodded in the affirmative. "Honest Otto. The guy with the half-baked mutton chops."

"Yeah." Cedric opened his menu and summoned the third and last of Zahnri's daggers he had in his possession, holding it up where all could see. "Turns out this is coated with the most expensive poison he's ever seen. A single use, highly potent compound, custom made, and Zahnri had at least five of these."

Chie dipped her head as the implications sunk in. "Whoever we're dealing with has a lot of wealth to throw around. Why didn't you bring this up earlier?"

"At the time all I had to go on was our initial attack. There was still a chance it was just a random bandit ambush and nothing more." Cedric's already serious expression became even more so. "I didn't want to cause any issues with Devlin or Taiki if there was a possibility none of this was tied to them. Even when we were attacked the second time it might have just been retaliation for them losing their party members."

Taiki could appreciate that, though he didn't agree with it. In his opinion the boy should have been more straightforward with this from the beginning. This was true especially if it was his fault this was happening.

"The longer I thought about this, the more I knew I was missing something. It wasn't until just a little bit ago that I realized what it was." Cedric turned to Taiki and Devlin. "I can say conclusively now, even without Otto's analysis that we were singled out and attacked with purpose from the beginning. The information about the poison just cements the fact that whoever is behind this is a large, powerful group."

"How do you know?" Taiki asked.

"We thought Zahnri had spotted us in town and followed us from there, having marked us as targets, but that's not the case." Cedric turned back to his guild leader, focusing on her. "We were already being tracked."

The boy spoke with a certain tone, assured in the facts he was presenting. "After I turned over the events in my head, I found what was wrong. Chie, when we first met him in town, neither of us introduced ourselves or told him anything about us, but when we caught him in the woods, he addressed you by name."

She frowned, thinking back and not being able to refute it. "Shit."

Taiki zoned out of the moment as he cogitated all he knew of the situation. There had been enough of a commotion when he and Devlin had tangled with Ren's group to draw attention, and there were no doubt enough people talking about it that it would be easy for someone to make some inquiries. Adding that Chie had publicly intervened after having spent some time in town looking for extra players to assist with a quest, it wouldn't be difficult to add those factors together and conclude that they'd gone with her.

If Chie was the target, Zahnri's conversation in Schreidenburg made no sense to him. In all likelihood he was trying to confirm he was tailing the right person, having probably never met her himself, and from there try to confirm if his true target was with them. Vague warnings of bandits could have been an attempt to either influence her path in a specific direction, or to allow him to pose the idea of joining forces for safety in numbers. If they'd traveled together from there, he would have functioned as a homing beacon for his entire party the moment they left town.

Chie seemed to like getting herself involved in things, but she didn't come off as the sort to make this kind of enemy without knowing, and the timing was too perfect. This had only happened to them once they'd taken the two of them on.

_If there was any doubt that Devlin or I had brought this on them, _Taiki thought, _it's settled now._

He gave a sidelong glance at his friend. Even through his mask he looked noticeably surprised by this information. Taiki found himself gazing at the floor as he tried to figure this out. He believed the story his friend had told him, about the death of his party and the mission of revenge he'd carried out. The party he'd hunted down in that tale didn't match up in size or scope to what they were facing. This left only one other person that could be their focus. Taiki pondered the ramifications, turning the data over and over in his mind.

"What did you find out about the poison?" He asked in a grim tone.

"Everything." Cedric replied, tossing the dagger to him. "I have the ingredient list, estimated price per dose, and most importantly, the name of the person that crafted it. It's all unlocked."

Taiki appraised the residue, able to view the data now that it had been made available by Cedric's contact. He wasn't familiar with the items the ingredients list specified, but the projected selling price caused his eyes to widen.

_Two point nine _million_ Col?_ Taiki balked, and this was only the estimated price if it were to be sold to an NPC at market value.

There was no telling how much the maker had actually charged for it. With all five daggers they'd seen used, Zahnri had spent at least nearly fifteen million Col, wasted in a few short minutes. After the ordeal they'd gone through just to get two hundred thousand, which was then promptly spent on supplies, the number was staggering. Their opponent was either obscenely wealthy or had bankrupted themselves on these weapons. There was simply no way someone could purchase something like this regularly.

Such an expenditure also told him that whoever Zahnri was hunting was not someone he wanted to fight without a severe handicap. They didn't appear to know much about Chie at the time, but a large, imposing red hunter with something of a reputation for violence might fit the bill.

"You read that right." Cedric said in confirmation for the group's benefit. "These things cost at least fifteen million."

Everyone reacted with the appropriate level of surprise. Taiki didn't pay nay mind to it, wrapped up in his own thoughts. A strange combination of dread and hope started to take hold in him. He didn't notice when the room had gone quiet and nobody was speaking. He settled on one idea and latched onto it.

"They're after me." Taiki declared, just as Chie was about to reach out and jostle him.

She withdrew the arm but kept her concerned expression. "You're sure?"

"They've got to be. It's the only thing that makes sense." He replied, finding his words spilling out faster as he spoke. "You'd know if you had made an enemy like this, and Devlin's already told us what happened with him. That just leaves me, the unknown, and the timing's right."

"Let's not jump to conclusions, here." Devlin said, coming to his defense despite Taiki himself levying the accusation. "We can't say that for certain. For all we know this could have nothing to do with you."

"I'm certain enough." Taiki insisted. "We know I was a red hunter. We know the Bloodhounds were an unpopular, violent group. It's not hard to imagine that a blacklisted player hunter would make some enemies. Hell, I almost made a new one of Midas. Who knows how many people like that I might have pissed off in the past. If they knew the rest of my party was dead, I'd make a much more appealing target."

"He makes some good points." Cedric said. It wasn't an accusation or an attack, just a statement in agreement. "I think we're one step closer to knowing what's going on."

His words having sunk in, Taiki's shoulders dipped as the weight of this settled on him, and his dread turned to guilt. He wished he had a chair to sink in to. _This is all my fault._

Devlin pushed off the wall to stand more upright, changing the topic back to what they'd started on. "Who made the poison?"

"Someone named Virul." Cedric answered, stressing the pronunciation as a VEE-rul.

"So," Amber spoke up, "what do we do now? I don't see this person just telling us about their clients over a PM."

"And we can forget about bribing them." Cedric added. "We need a face to face, if possible."

"Where can I find this person?" Taiki asked.

"Where can _we_." Chie corrected.

Taiki words felt heavy. "Chie, I appreciate your helping me more than I can say, but I don't want to cause you any more trouble than I already have."

"That isn't up to you." She said lightly. "Whether or not this started with you, we're already involved."

His face fell at that statement, and she rushed to explain herself. "This isn't your problem, this is _our_ problem. We face it together."

"Let him leave." Haruki said gruffly. She was standing at the opening to the hallway, having decided to join them. Her husband was just behind her.

"When your input is required I'll ask for it." Chie stood, meeting her eyes. The larger woman frowned, but looked away. "Taiki is one of us."

"But-" Taiki started to refuse, but he was cut off by Chie speaking in a determined, immovable tone.

"Listen, I don't know who you were. None of us really do, and maybe…maybe we never will, but I think I have a good idea of who you are." Chie placed a hand on his shoulder. "You're a good man, you're a member of my party, and I'd say you're my friend. I'll have your back as long as any of those stay true."

"This Bloodhound guy may have been a real jerk from what we've heard," Amber stood from her chair and crossed the room over to him, "but in the two weeks I've known you I still haven't met him."

"Like Chie said," Cedric added, "we're in this together."

Under his half mask, Devlin's expression was impossible to read apart from his eyes, which looked at once uncertain and set solid. He looked like he was about to say something, but instead clenched his jaw. The muscles on either side caused the fabric of the mask to shift. Settling on his words, he gave a slow nod.

"You stick around, and so will I." The masked man stated.

Taiki could appreciate everyone's support, but it still felt wrong to put them in harm's way. Despite the possibility this wasn't his fault, but he was already convinced. He could sense that he was overlooking some detail he'd forgotten, but he didn't attempt to recall it. Unintentional as it was, the heavier his guilt at having brought this down on his friends, the more his hope grew in turn.

"Did Otto know where we might find this Virul?" He asked Cedric.

"Yeah, said he checked around. She's supposed to be in some place called," Cedric opened his menu and mailbox to reread the message, "Rengoku."

"Never heard of it." Amber said.

Chie, Cedric and Amber opened their menus to tab over to their maps, setting a filter of all the towns they'd unlocked. When none of them found anything matching the name they'd been given, Chie offered a suggestion.

"Maybe one of the new towns on the fifty second floor?" She'd just started another search of her map when she noticed Devlin hadn't bothered to open his own menu.

His half mask expanded briefly as he sighed through it. "You won't find it on any map. The place is a red haven."

Taiki put forth the obvious question. "What's a red haven?"

"It's a haven," Devlin explained haltingly, "for reds."

Taiki and Amber both gave a questioning look at the complete lack of information that supplied.

"It's a kind of player made town." Chie started to give a more helpful answer. "All the normal towns in Aincrad are pre-generated. We just find them and unlock them as we go along. Red havens are where enough reds have congregated to form a town of their own."

"While towns are preset and indestructible, with some real estate people can buy for shops or homes, players also have the option of building stuff of their own." Devlin explained, the first part more for Taiki's sake than Ambers, before continuing. "People can choose to find a vacant lot in town to build on, or they can buy or claim land outside. Players with red icons can't enter established towns without the guard drones chasing them out, so they'll sometimes have a house built somewhere else. Enough of these people build in one spot and you've got yourself a little hidden town of outcasts."

"A haven for reds." Taiki repeated with more understanding.

Such a place didn't sound particularly welcoming, let alone safe.

"So it's a collection of cutthroats all in one place." Amber stated. "Wonderful."

"Not all reds are bad guys." Chie objected. "SAO's crime system isn't perfect, and sometimes people just get unlucky. Once you're permanently barred from ever entering a town's safe zone, I can't say I'd blame anyone that wanted to try and form a kind of their own. Add to that the social stigma on red players and it's not hard to see why they'd cluster together for safety in some corner of the world."

"Mutual protection from anyone that might want to cause them problems." Taiki thought of how eager Ren had been to attack Devlin. "Like anyone that wanted to feel like a hero for taking out a red player, or a hunting guild."

"Yeah, that being said," Devlin scratched at the back of his head, "places like that are also magnets for said cutthroats or the people that profit from them. A poisoner would find a red haven to be a great place to set up shop. I expect we could find people ranging from folks that got screwed over hard and just want a place to live, and people as bad or worse than what we're dealing with. From what I hear Rengoku is more on the 'scum and villainy' side of the scale."

"How do we find a town that's not on anyone's map?" Cedric asked the group.

"Well, we can't just ask any info broker." Amber pointed out.

The party mulled over this problem for a full half minute before Devlin spoke up again.

"I…" He started. He'd obviously hoped someone else would have an answer besides him. "_might_ know where it is."

"That's convenient." Cedric commented. Knowing where to find the den of thieves and outcasts could be more than a little suspicious.

"I've never actually _been_ there." Devlin said defensively. "A guy in my old party, Zerrin, said that he'd been there a couple times. Never said why. I don't have its exact location, but I can get us in the general area. I think…maybe."

"Alright." Chie said in a tone that told everyone she'd heard what she needed. "Everyone pack up. We're leaving for Rengoku."

"Hold up." Devlin held a hand up, stalling everyone as they were about to break off to make ready. "This isn't the kind of place we can waltz into as is with no plan. Before we set out, there's a few things we need to do first."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Taiki stepped through the portal, warping to the first town of the eighteenth floor. It was a sharp contrast from everything he'd seen thus far. While most of what he'd seen had been temperate, with green hills or plains, the town of Shadrahar was significantly hotter. It was built entirely from sandstone, with lots of single storey flat topped buildings laid out with little organization. For the first town of a floor, it wasn't very big. From the teleport hub, Taiki could already see through the outer gates, where flat sand rolled out to the horizon.

Amber and Brenda took form beside him. The former lifted a hand to shield her eyes from the sun that seemed closer and brighter than it had been on other floors. Spotting her handler's discomfort, the NPC summoned a generously sized parasol to hold over the two of them. Taiki simply squinted his eyes against the glare; they wouldn't be here long.

It had taken over six hours for the party to go through the preparations Devlin had laid out. The first order of business was to go through a quest of equal or greater level than they were. For this, they'd jumped back up to the fifty first floor to Mittelwache, then warping to an out of the way enough town to be able to find a job. With Midas dead and his underlings scrabbling for power over their organization while trying to avoid whatever had caught up with their boss, they weren't covering as much ground as they had before. They had found a simple little fetch quest that paid next to nothing for their level, but it would suit their needs. They had completed the quest, but had not yet turned it in.

Another swirling mass of voxels flowed from the open teleporter, taking the form of Mamoru. He was the last one through, and the portal closed with an electrical pop as the threshold collapsed back into the thimble sized blue light hanging in the archway's center. A quiet curse escaped his lips at the unexpected intensity of the sun's light as he opened his menu to try and find a hat.

Taiki looked amongst his party, reviewing the changes to their wardrobes. Since their enemy knew what they looked like, it was necessary to conceal themselves should they come across them. The fact that they were also in the desert necessitated appropriate clothes, and they would need to try and fit in without sticking out too much once they found their destination. Chie didn't want to sacrifice the protection her ivory half plate armour provided, and had opted to cover herself with a large tan shawl that hung over her shoulders, reaching down to her thighs. The cloth wrapped around her head, covering it completely apart from a slim line for her eyes, under which he could see the glint of glass goggles. Taiki could see she might be regretting that decision; she already looked like she was getting hot.

Cedric's armour was light enough to have no such problem, seeing how it only had a few smaller plates over a leather base. He'd had these painted tan and had a hood attached. Amber and Brenda had completely changed their attire. They wore none of their normal armour, instead dressing in loose desert clothing with a tight head wrap. Mamoru had only summoned a wide brimmed hat to keep the sun out of his eyes. He was the only person without some form of eye protection.

Devlin's lamellar armour was light enough to also cause him little trouble. He pulled the hood of his cloak up and fastened it in place. The rest of the long garment was held fast by straps to his body to keep it from catching the wind. In addition to his normal half mask, he wore a black iron plate mask that covered his entire face. There were two thin slits for his eyes, and three vertical lines where his mouth was. A thin cloth on the inside of the mask kept the sand out of his mouth, while a layer of glass filled the eye slits.

Taiki himself had purchased a light brown poncho and draped it over himself, as well as a wrap that covered him from his collar up to the bridge of his nose. Over his eyes were a pair of goggles pulled close to his face by a band that ran around his head. Like Cedric's, Taiki's armour only had a few plates, but he still felt himself getting hot inside it.

Haruki was not present, having refused to come along. Taiki was a little surprised Mamoru has chosen to, but he reasoned that as long as he was with them, they wouldn't worry about her running off on them.

"Okay." Devlin said to everyone as he punched in the coordinates to the closest town to the red haven. "Next stop, Everstorm."

None of them had been to Everstorm before, but it was one of the few towns in Aincrad that were exceptions to the normal rule. One did not need to travel to Everstorm to unlock its gateway, it was instead unlocked for free once you'd accessed the eighteenth floor. The reason for this was that the town would be next to impossible to find otherwise. If it hadn't been a free unlock, there was a good chance nobody would have even known it existed.

The small desert town of Everstorm was situated in the approximate center of a massive, never ending sandstorm that covered about a quarter of the eighteenth floor. The perpetual maelstrom, given the unaffectionate name the Shitstorm, was supposedly not too bad near the fringe, but got stronger the deeper one went. The eighteenth floor was not a popular one, and had been largely ignored by everyone once they'd unlocked the nineteenth. The sand and grit were uncomfortable, and the torrential winds were hard to travel in. Add to that, it was difficult to explore when you could only see so far. The town was also completely unnecessary to beat the floor, as there was a much easier route to the final town and boss labyrinth.

The Shitstorm was largely unmapped, and could contain any number of treasures or challenges, but nobody had made the effort to explore it. Taiki doubted anyone came this way if they could avoid it, making it the perfect place to hide a town, if you could find a spot that was shielded from the storm. Even if someone were to come here to hunt it down, if they didn't already know where it was, it would be nearly impossible to locate through the dense fog of airborne sand.

The portal snapped and crackled as it activated, and their red cloaked guide stepped through. Chie was next, ducking her chin to her chest, followed by Amber and Brenda, the former clutching her head wrap close. The NPC had the foresight to return the parasol to her inventory. Once they were through, Taiki stepped into the portal. After the now familiar rush, he took form in a torrent of sand. The unexpected winds nearly toppled him before he could regain his footing. He couldn't see more than twenty meters in any direction, the sandstorm was so thick. Wind howled in his ears as the sand grated against everything.

Mamoru came through after him, issuing a much more caustic curse as his hat was ripped from his head and immediately disappeared into the wind. He was going to shout something else, but had to shut his mouth after it started to fill with grit. Taiki searched around for Devlin, finding him to be somewhat unbothered. Apart from his wide stance to counter the winds, his attire appeared to be doing a fine enough job.

"Hey!" Taiki shouted to grab his attention. He could barely hear himself. He was about to ask again even louder when several cascading lightning bolts arced through the sky overhead, filling the air with a long series of booms and briefly throwing the area in shifting shadows in contrast to the harsh light.

A beacon of nearby light became visible as Chie activated a glowstone. She then waved it and started trudging towards the nearest building. The party followed after, opening the door into a building they couldn't even make out the shape of.

It opened into something resembling an air lock, no doubt to keep the sand out of the actual establishment. The party didn't bother to move through the next door, they were only here for a moment's respite. They'd only been outside for about a minute, but they were already completely caked in a thick coating of sand. Taiki squirmed, finding a generous portion had made its way into his armour. Judging by the motions of the others, he was not alone in this regard. The worst to suffer was Mamoru, who was spitting out a lump of grit.

"God dammit!" Mamoru shouted before spitting out another lump of mud.

"Alright," Devlin looked around the group. His voice was muffled behind his iron mask, but audible in the air lock. "We all know what we're doing?"

Everyone nodded in the affirmative.

"Communications are going to be difficult in the storm." Chie told everyone. "Everybody stay close and stay in sight. If you have any questions, now's the time. If you need to say anything later, send a PM."

Taiki frowned, knowing that option was not available to him. Nobody else had anything to say. They'd already gone over this.

Chie handed the glowstone to Devlin. "Lead the way."

Mamoru took a moment to try and create a makeshift head wrap out of a shirt and asked around for a spare pair of eye protection. He'd initially not planned on coming, and had not properly prepared. With a longsuffering sigh barely masked by her current attire, Chie summoned the requested item and handed it over.

Once ready, their guide nodded and opened the door, filling the air lock with the screaming howl of the wind whipped sands. One by one they grudgingly went back out into the maelstrom. There were no NPCs or players outside, as far as Taiki could see. Everyone in Everstorm most likely stayed indoors, and he doubted there were any other players here. Leaning into the wind, he walked in the middle of their group, following the light of the glowstone held aloft by Devlin. Leading the group was Devlin with the beacon and Chie. Behind him was Amber and Brenda, and to his right was Mamoru.

Buildings a stone's throw away were indistinct shapes in the cloud of torrential sand. They passed by, fading from view as they marched past. When a few minutes had passed Taiki could see a more solid object take form ahead of them with a discernable void in it. Everstorm's outer wall and gate.

The party stopped here, just outside the safe zone of the city's walls. They did a quick scan of everything they could see from here, which was a lot of nothing, and then proceeded with the next step of the plan. Everyone except for Cedric and Taiki drew their weapon. Chie moved first, making a swift and shallow cut across the smaller boy's chest. When nothing happened, she made another slash, turning her icon orange. Each one of them proceeded to do this in turn, making small strikes on Cedric until all of them but he had an orange icon. Taiki, having no icon to turn, didn't need to participate any more than Brenda.

The reason for this was precautionary camouflage. As a red haven, if several unknown green players suddenly showed up, it might bring some unwanted attention. Even more so once they started looking around for Virul. Better to look like they belonged. The boy gave an exaggerated nod to make it easy to see and then returned into town towards the teleporter. His role in this endeavor was to head back to the NPC they'd gotten their quest from.

As the rest of them now had a first strike orange icon, they would be barred from returning to any town until they reverted in forty eight hours or they completed a quest equal or greater to their level. Cedric's job would be wait near the NPC that had given them the fetch quest, ready to turn it in. Once they were ready to return to town, Cedric would be sent a PM to turn in the quest, which would then cause all their icons to change back to green, allowing them back into town. In the event that anything went wrong, this would also allow them to use their teleport crystals without being stuck outside the gates walls like Devlin and Mamoru had been before.

Devlin rechecked his map, pivoting to face what he believed was the right direction, then waved the glowstone back and forth, starting their trek. Taiki was in the relative middle of the group. He searched around for any visible landmarks of any kind, finding nothing. Behind them was the only thing other than his party in sight, and that too faded from view as they kept moving. For all he knew, there could be a whole city just fifty meters away, and he'd never know until he was right upon it.

_I hope he knows where we're going._ He thought, still following the beacon that was Devlin and his glowstone. Getting lost would be frightfully easy in such a place.

It was slow going, placing and bracing one foot after the other, fighting the currents of air and dirt with every step. The direction of the perpetual gusts seemed to change at random, making it even harder just to keep his footing. One moment he'd be leaning forward, and a moment later he'd nearly fall flat as the gusts hit him from behind. His poncho flapped wildly, but he could barely hear it over the ever present winds that drowned out nearly all sound. Enough light filtered through the storm above to know it was still daytime, but so much was blocked out it was a little darker than dusk. Taiki couldn't even tell which direction the sun was in.

This wouldn't have been so bad, but it was impossible for his eyes to adjust. Every half minute or so a long chain of lightning would flash, compounding the harsh winds with thunderous booms. The arcs would snake their way across the sky, throwing the area in sharp and sudden contrast before plunging it back into shade.

It was tiring, straining against the environment with every step. Taiki was at least thankful that the storm was their only adversary. He squinted his eyes further, seeing a massive, vague shape of something in the distance in front of them. Devlin waved his beacon, bringing the party to a pause. The Shitstorm was not a simple, unified storm system. Within it were smaller, more intense eddies and substorms. Before them was such a system. Two twisters wound their way along, coiling around each other in a helix as they whipped up massive columns of sand. A constant web of lightning bolts connected the two, shooting the occasional stray bolt sideways through the air.

Taiki could only watch as they meandered to the group's left, glad they weren't headed their way. The group flinched collectively as another lightning strike lit up the area from behind them, hitting the ground to their right in an explosion of fiery sand and dirty glass.

_This place is insane._ Taiki was rapidly starting to wish he could be just about anywhere else.

Once the twisters were out of sight, Devlin waved his beacon to resume their trek. Taiki glanced back to their left. The only thing he could see of the coiled tornados was the soft glow from the electricity connecting them. The fact that such a thing was a constant threat was almost as bad as the fact that a few moments later he couldn't even see it anymore.

Suddenly, Taiki could see the beacon waving frantically up and down. The signal to hunker down. Looking past it, Taiki could see why. A storm wall of greater intensity was blowing their way. It wasn't something they could dodge or avoid, only weather. Everyone dug their feet in and dropped to the ground, hugging the earth. The deafening screams of the wind got even louder as it hit them, tugging at them, as if it were bidding them to take flight. Taiki tucked his head to his chest, turtling against the wind.

Several minutes passed as Taiki waited for the torrent within the torrent to pass. He eventually hazarded a look around, wincing as the biting sand stung the upper half of his face. Behind him, he saw Amber slowly losing the fight to keep her place. He feet were still dug in, but her torso had started to rise. She was straining to force herself back into a horizontal position, leaving her standing at a nearly seventy degree angle. She tired out, unable to hold against it forever, and snapped backwards, hitting the ground with her back. With no grip, she started slipping away.

Without stopping to think, Taiki stood to chase after her, instantly catching the wind himself. He was likewise knocked flat and sent into a roll before he caught himself. Taking to his feet, he jumped after her. Propelled by the wind at his back, he was airborne a full five seconds, long enough to worry he might never come back down before passing her by. He twisted, landing in a sloppy roll that had him tumbling end over end. Fighting his momentum, he rolled up onto one knee, driving his left hand into the earth and ground to a halt. As Amber, still flailing her arms to seek any purchase approached him, he reached out with his main hand and grabbed one of her arms as she was about to blow by. Taiki tackled her to the ground, using his greater weight to pin them both in place.

They were lucky enough to have landed fairly relative to each other, with her head besides his, a little lower. At some point in her tumble her head wrap had come loose, though her goggles had thankfully stayed in place. She pressed her forehead into his collar, shielding her face. Taiki might have found this rather charming if they weren't currently being sandblasted by a perpetual storm in the middle of a desert. Instead, it was decidedly miserable for the both of them. After an uncomfortably long few minutes trapped like this, the wind finally died back down to its normal unbearably harsh strength. As they staggered to their feet, she shouted something he couldn't make out.

"What?" He shouted back, likewise drowned out.

She repeated herself to the same results before reaching up to grab his collar and pull his head down to her level. She placed her head next to his, shouting directly into his ear.

"Good. Catch." She yelled, prompting him to wince under his half mask.

He didn't know what to say in reply to that that would be easy to convey or hear in their current situation without likewise bellowing next to her head, so after a moment's thought he gave an exaggerated nod and a thumbs up. Amber visibly cocked her head at this display, but didn't put any questions to words. He returned to his full height while the two of them tried to find their party. They were too far to see the glowstone. Amber sent a quick PM and checked her map, finding the rest of their party. She snaked an arm around his and pointed the other.

_Good idea. _He thought. If anything happened to him, he wouldn't be able to find the others on the map. She was holding on to him a little tighter than she probably needed, but he figured she didn't want to get blown away again.

They flinched as another lightning bolt exploded nearby, creating a short lived crater. In the bright light, Taiki could see they were no longer alone. He'd briefly made out the silhouettes of at least a half dozen figures. Another strike lit them up again, revealing them to be some form of quadruped, with sharply arched backs and pointed, beaklike heads. He couldn't make out much more of what they were. They watched, but made no moves towards them, only following just on the edge of his sight, disappearing between lightning strikes.

Taiki placed his hand on the pommel of his sword. This would make an awful place for a fight.

_No wonder nobody's mapped this place._ He thought. _This place is a deathtrap._

He felt a tug on his arm and looked down to see Amber beckoning him down. He bent at the knees to allow her to shout in his ear again, though he could only make out parts of what she was saying.

"—n't worry. They'll lea-s alone. We're too high level for th-bother with." She shouted.

Taiki nodded again, understanding enough. Wandering animal mobs wouldn't attack players outside a certain level range. Once someone was sufficiently over leveled for their environment, the random encounters become more a waste of the player's time and the system's resources to bother with. They were on the eighteenth floor, and they were leveled for the fifty first, so most things here were vastly below them. For this reason, the wandering mobs that would normally attack them as random encounters would instead either ignore or follow them at a distance.

They should only attack if any of them approached them or if there were enough of the mobs to balance out the level gap. He was glad he didn't have to deal with them, but he wished they'd go away. The Shitstorm was bad enough without hostile mobs hovering nearby. An approaching, more humanoid silhouette was revealed to be Brenda, coming after her escort. The NPC follower moved her head like she was shouting something to the two of them, but all the sound was lost before it reached them. Either not caring or comprehending, the drone grabbed on to Amber's other hand as they neared the cluster of shapes they discerned as their party.

Taiki was put a bit more at ease when they managed to rejoin their group, once again getting back to their journey after a head count found nobody else missing.

The next few hours were spent making their way across the desert, occasionally changing course to avoid a harsher subsystem or digging in to wait for the lighter ones to pass. As they moved along, the number of silhouettes steadily increased.

After what felt like an entirely too long time, Devlin waved his beacon in short circles to indicate a change in course and pointed it forward, about twenty degrees to the right. He peered in the indicated direction and spotted what looked like the mouth of a cave. The group stepped more lively, eager to be out of the wind. The entrance to the cave was nearly big enough to swallow up a house, but in the storm they would have never found it if they hadn't been looking for it.

The howling wind quieted as they moved inside. The cavern was dark, but looked to move downwards in a curve to the left after a swell of sand at the entrance. Taiki had no idea how the cave mouth hadn't filled with sand like a ram scoop in the storm, but figured it might have just been video game logic at work.

He shot a last glance to the mobs that were still congregating outside. _Good thing we didn't have to fight anything out here. This place is bad enough as is._

As he was turning back to look into the cave, a quartet of red eyes lit up in the dark, slowly rising up to over three times his height to reveal whatever was living in the cave, and had probably been keeping it from filling with sand. With a braying screech, the shadowy creature charged them, tossing Devlin and Chie aside to slam into the walls. Taiki started to reach for his weapon when it focused on him, surging towards him, maw open wide.

Taiki tried to dodge to the side, but was swept off the ground as it clamped its jaws around his legs. Its teeth sank into both his thighs as it bit down. Quick to react, the rest of the party attacked it, forcing it out of the cave. With Taiki still in its jaws, it scurried out of the cave and back into the storm.

His main weapon was inside the creature's jaw, behind a row of teeth the size of his forearm, but his kukri was accessible. Scrunching in on himself, he managed to draw it and drive it into one of the monster's left eyes. With a howling scream that briefly drowned out the storm it threw him to the ground. Rolling to his feet, he drew his falcata, trying to brace himself for a fight in the Shitstorm.

A flash of lightning revealed the creature's form. It was a salamander with six legs and onyx scales. Along its back were meter long spikes, and its feet each had talons as long as the weapon Taiki had left in its face. Four red eyes sat on a long head the size of a horse. The creature didn't charge him again. Instead, it braced its tail against the ground and rose up onto its hind two legs. It stood tall, a full two stories high and opened its mouth wide. From within its jaws a red, fiery glow started to burn.

_Oh, come on!_ He lamented internally as the fire within its jaws intensified. _What am I supposed to do against fire?_

The creature drew in a long breath when the lightning that had illuminated it suddenly connected with Taiki's kukri. The ground shook as its head instantly exploded into meaty chunks sent flying in all directions, leaving trails of blue pixels in the air as they disintegrated. The kukri that had been lodged in its skull was heard whistling through the sky as it flew somewhere far out of view. A long gout of flame shot up from the creature's neck as it sank to the ground and shattered into shards.

_Oh…_ He was given pause as the after battle report panel appeared in front of him. _Okay, then._

Taiki glanced back over his shoulder at where his weapon had disappeared. _Guess I'm not getting that back._

Not wanting to wait for the other mobs to make a move, he did his best to sprint back to the cavern, meeting his party halfway as they were still coming out to help him. They reentered the cave with more caution and their weapons drawn, but nothing else rushed out to meet them. After the bend in the cave it ended at an unnaturally flat wall. A single door was at its center, half buried in sand. A short time of excavating later and they were able to pull it open, and passed through to what lay beyond.

They close the door behind them, and the area was plunged into absolute darkness. Taiki felt someone grab onto his wrist, then immediately let go. A few menus were made visible, and a moment later there was a pair of cracks as Devlin and Chie each activated a glowstone. Taiki found that Amber had again latched onto Brenda's arm. He didn't pay it much mind, instead looking around the place they now found themselves in.

They were in a ten meter square chamber with three equidistant five meter wide tunnels connecting to it, looking like they'd been dug into the rock with simple tools. The pathways weren't straight, bending and turning out of sight so they couldn't see where they ended. There were no torches on the walls, the only light coming from their glowstones. In fact, there was nothing on the walls at all. The entire room and the halls looked to be made from matte black stone, reflecting almost no light and making it hard to accurately judge depth or distance. Taiki could hear a rhythmic exchange of moving air, but couldn't feel any breeze.

"This the right place?" Chie asked.

Devlin rechecked his map. "Uh…yeah. Yeah, this should be it."

"You sure?" Taiki prompted. He didn't want to go back outside, but he didn't want to wander aimlessly in here, either.

"I'm sure." Devlin replied, more confident in his answer. "It matches the description."

Now that they were out of the wind, Brenda undid her head wrap, doffing it and returning it to the ether. Her face was still filthy, and she blew a raspberry to rid her lips of the grit in an oddly childish display for the NPC. Once done, she spoke up. "We have entered an anti-crystal zone."

"Well, crap." Amber muttered, likewise removing her wrapping. "When?"

"As soon as we entered the cave." The companion answered.

"That's just great." Amber said with a huff. She turned to Devlin. "Now what?"

"We avenge my family!" Brenda heartily declared.

"Now we just need to find Rengoku." Devlin replied as they all ignored the NPC's outburst. "I don't know how big this place is, but we can assume it's like any other dungeon and look for the larger chambers."

"You think whoever lives here has to make the same trek we just did every time they come or go?" Amber asked.

"Maybe." Devlin shrugged. "Maybe they have some other way set up."

"You're telling me we're looking for some subterranean player town in some random cave." Mamoru frowned at the idea. "I have a hard time believing anyone would choose to live here."

"Actually, I'm already seeing a few benefits to this place. Look," Devlin walked over to one of the walls near the left passageway, drawing his khopesh. He pointed to a spot in the rock that was a little less dark. "corudite. This is a mine."

"And," He tossed the glowstone into the tunnel, revealing a lurking, pitch black beast several meters away that none of them had noticed until that moment. It looked like a ragged, feral wolf. Like the creatures that had gathered outside, its back had a pronounced arch. It had a pair of whip like tails that ended in boney spikes. The black wolf's front paws had glistening claws, and a noticeable set of two opposable thumbs on either side of each paw. Its fangs caught the light of the glowstone, but it had no eyes itself. The creature was almost twice the size of a full grown man. "there are mobs. This is a great place to farm."

The wolf creature snarled and pounced, missing Devlin as the red cloaked man spun out the way and struck with his blade. One of the whip tails lashed out as it passed, catching him off guard and across the face, snapping him almost completely around. Chie was the first of the rest of them to react, raising her sword and charging it. The beast leapt away from her, landing halfway up the wall. From here it immediately jumped up to the ceiling, twisting to dig its claws into the rock above them. Without a second's pause it propelled itself back down, tackling her to the ground.

Sword in hand, Taiki tried to stab at its left side, only to have it dodge away. In a bizarre move, it performed a half roll, lifting its left legs over itself to then have them land on its other side. The creature then rapidly crab walked backwards over to the wall. With a series of quick boney snaps, the joints of its limbs reversed and its head twisted back around. With a roar, it went back on the attack. It tails whipped around to strike at Amber's legs, toppling her. From there it latched a pawn onto Brenda's face. The creature's hand was large enough for its digits to fully wrap around her head, the talons on the two thumbs connecting at the back of her skull. The NPC was forced to the ground as it brought its weight to bear.

Taiki drew one of his throwing knives, letting it fly. With a whistle it buried itself near its collar, disappearing into its fur. The monster paused, then jerked its head to face him. It pounced forward into a run, grinding Brenda into the floor before letting go.

_Crap. That thing's fast._

Once it was in range, it heaved itself forward and raised both its front paws to tackle him to the ground. Instead of trying to dodge, Taiki rooted his feet and met it head on. His falcata was raised to attack it, the creature's claws wrapped around his forearm before it could be brought around. His shield arm was punched out to meet the other paw. The creature's more massive hands instantly latched into his, pinning them in place and digging its claws into his wrists. Lifting itself up, it tried to bring its weight down to force him over.

Taiki's feet slid back across the uneven floor, giving ground but not giving in. It snapped its tails around to discourage the others from attacking from behind, then dipped its head down to try and bite at his face. Before it could clamp its jaws onto him, it let out a loud yelp that made his ears ring. Chie had jumped onto its back, and had thrust her sword into the base of its neck. With another crunch of grinding bone, the beast's head twisted around, upside down. From here, it tried to bit at Chie. With one person on its back and another holding its front limbs, it wasn't able to dodge the attacks from the rest of the party as they converged on it from both sides.

Amber and her very disheveled NPC stabbed at it from its right, while Mamoru and Devlin attacked from the left. It tried to swipe its left hand at Mamoru, freeing Taiki's sword arm. Before it could correct or realize its mistake, he jabbed his blade up into its torso, sinking it to the hilt. From there he twisted and wrenched the weapon around, forcing it to cut roughly through fur and flesh.

After a fight that felt far too long, the beast finally died, going limp and exploding into glowing shards that briefly illuminated the entire room. The sound of excited breathing filled the cave as they all caught themselves and tried to calm back down after the sudden surprise.

Devlin was the first to speak, in an apologetic tone. "Well…mistakes were made."

"You want to warn us next time you're about to pull something like that!" Mamoru shouted harshly.

"Hey, I didn't think it was going to attack." Devlin said defensively. "The mobs on this floor are a third our level."

"That one wasn't." Chie stated evenly. "This mine might also be a hidden dungeon, over leveled for its area. Everyone keep on your toes."

The beast they'd felled told them another thing about this mine: it was not leveled to match the floor it was on. While most areas had enemies and objectives relative to the level of the rest of the floor, there were some areas in Aincrad that were significantly harder than the surrounding region. While the eighteenth floor would for the most part be populated by mobs far they had surpassed far enough that they wouldn't even attack them unprovoked, the thing they'd killed was as strong as anything they might find leading a squad of smaller grunts up on the fifty first.

This was a Challenge Dungeon. Taiki was familiar enough with them, though this was the first he'd been in. A Challenge Dungeon was a type of labyrinth that far exceeded the difficulty of the floor it was, while being out of the way enough that they could be ignored by anyone that chose to. They were supposed to contain rare or valuable loot, and greater risk than one would find elsewhere. The tougher enemies found inside also made them appealing to people trying to focus on power levels. Even on a floor this far down from the front, a Challenge Dungeon could keep its worth, and remain dangerous. Taiki had heard Chie mention that there was even a Dungeon like this on the first floor that had yet to be fully cleared.

Either the players that lived here were tough enough to stroll through the Shitstorm and carve their way through the mine, or they had established a shortcut of some sort and were using them as deterrents.

Devlin summoned a lantern to replace his discarded glowstone, providing them with a brighter light that reached farther ahead. Chie followed suit, summoning her own, and nodded to him to take point and lead them on. Their guide returned the gesture and turned to head out, down the tunnel the monster had been lurking in. The depth of the tunnel was impossible to gauge, partly because their lanterns only pierced so far into the darkness, and partly because the black rock forming the entirety of the mine made everything they could see blend together. After barely a minute's walk, Devlin paused.

He pointed to a spot on the wall that was still outside the reach of the lights. "Hey, I see a door."

True enough, as they neared the point he'd indicated, a sturdy looking iron double door came into view, large enough for the lot of them to enter abreast each other. Chie took hold of its handles and pulled it open, causing all of them to flinch and cover their eyes from the bright light that poured from inside. The room was unlike the rest of the cavernous mine in that it appeared entirely fabricated. While the walls were still made from the same black stone, they were smooth and flat. The floor was polished tiles that had the brown-ish colour of the corudite ore that they had noticed earlier, and the ceiling was made out of brightly glowing white translucent flat crystal. If Taiki had been familiar with the word, he might have compared it to a large fluorescent light.

The room was a square about fifty meters long and wide, barren save for the area directly in its center. At this point they could see a large ornate whit marble fountain in the middle of a garden of colourful flowers. There was nothing and no one else inside. Chie regarded the room with a cautious eye, stepping through the threshold first. Immediately after she was through, her posture noticeably relaxed and she started casually walking towards the fountain.

"It's a safe zone." She explained.

The rest of the party followed suit, Taiki blinking involuntarily at the Inner Area notification that popped up in the lower portion of his field of view. While town's made up the majority of Aincrad's safe zones, there were some small ones that could be found out in the wilds, usually in the depths of some difficult dungeon. That there was a safe zone so quickly inside this one spoke to the struggle they might expect here. There was also the possibility that the safe room was just a place to recuperate after the storm.

He gave the room another once over, finding nothing but the fountain. Taiki noticed he wasn't the only person confused by this. As they themselves were now demonstrating, safe zones out in the field did not discriminate against red players. It would be the ideal place for red players to build their haven if it was small enough. He hadn't expected them to need too much real estate, and this prime area was completely unclaimed.

"There's nobody here." Mamoru said with apparent disappointment.

"Doesn't mean they're not somewhere else around here." Devlin replied, though he was also confused by this. "Maybe they wanted somewhere deeper in the mine, so people that just poked their heads in wouldn't find it to easy."

"This is a pretty good size room." Amber stated. "Where else could they be?"

"Or maybe they're not even here." Mamoru suggested in an irritated tone. To come this far only to waste their time would be less than satisfying.

"It's a mine and a dungeon." Chie called out to them, now gaining a lead on them towards the fountain and garden. "I don't doubt there's bigger rooms in here somewhere. We'll rest and clean up here a few minutes and start sweeping the place."

Her words reminded Taiki of all the sand he'd nearly gotten used to that was covering all of them, permeating their cloths and armour. It ground and chafed with every step. The dry heat of the desert had likewise instilled in them a thirst they couldn't quench in the storm without their mouths filling with as much sand as water. The fountain, itself a wide circle nearly seven meters in diameter, started to look much more appealing and like it had a clear purpose.

Reminded likewise of his thirst, Taiki tugged down his half mask as he summoned his canteen from his inventory. Its contents were quickly drained as he fast walked towards the fountain to refill it, catching up with Chie. The rest of the party eagerly followed after. They had undergone an unpleasant trek to get this far, and the path to come was likely even harder. The fountain and its surrounding garden seemed an appealing place to spend their momentary respite before they had to return to their search.

* * *

Author's Notes: With how Aincrad's crime system works, I figured red havens might be a natural development from that. They might range from hidden villages of people that just want to be left alone, to collections of some of the worst people in Aincrad.

As for the price for Zahnri's poisoned daggers, I'm still kinda trying to figure out how much Col is supposed to be worth. A previous chapter described the amount of money he'd spent as enough to buy a palace of some sort. The SAO wiki states that Kirito and Asuna's cabin cost 5 million. I chose to presume part of that was high property value, since I assume a a log cabin should not be terribly expensive, but Kirito still made a complaint about how it cost so much.

Also, working up towards this arc's main conflicts. Got a couple fights coming up soon I've been rather looking forward to putting out there. Every lesson learned is important at least once.


	18. Chapter 16: Purgatory

Holding the javelin point down, Taiki tapped the tip of the spearhead against the corudite ore making up the floor. Having set his desired target, he grasped the weapon tighter with both hands near the bottom third of the wood pole. It was lifted up and brought back down with a heavy clang as he drove the spearhead into the ground. Corudite ore was a hard, resilient material. From what he understood, the refined metal was used as a component in a lot of higher grade heavy armours. The ten centimeter blade of the spearhead was about half buried in the floor and was firmly in place.

He'd taken off his poncho and outer armour, but there was enough sand underneath that the jarring motion had shaken free a burst of silt from his arms and torso. In front of him was the fountain, a simple ring about seven meters in diameter with the rim about shin height. It was embedded in the floor, and looked to be about forty five centimeters, or a foot and a half deep. At its center was a simple column a little thicker than his forearm, coming up to almost a meter and three quarters. The top of the column had five spouts arrayed around it in a star that were about as wide as a thumb and about sixty centimeters long. The water didn't so much spray or jet from the fountain as pour from it. It was not unlike a rudimentary shower built for five. A welcome sight after they'd caked themselves in sand, sweat, and sand dried sweat.

To Taiki's right were five other javelins, spaced about one every meter and a half. Each he'd stabbed into the floor, leaving them jutting straight up like fence posts. Amber and Chie were busy tying a few bedsheet between them, turning the improvised posts into something approaching a five foot tall cloth wall.

They'd already quenched their collective thirst and refilled their stores of water. The fountain would next be used as the shower it looked to be built as. With the room being otherwise barren save for the flower garden that encircled the fountain, they were building a temporary wall to allow some privacy while they cleaned themselves up in turn. Strangely enough the flowers appeared to grow straight from the solid floor and refused to be flattened by any footsteps, springing back to life the moment they moved on.

A harsh clinking of metal on metal brought Taiki's attention to his left, where Devlin and Mamoru were trying to bury their respective fenceposts. There wasn't exactly a spear based system skill involving stabbing a polearm directly between your feet, so it had to be done manually. The two javelins repeatedly striking the floor was amusing for a moment before the sound got agitating.

Devlin gave one last attempt that scored a mark in the floor but accomplished little else. He looked over Taiki's progress tossed the weapon to his larger friend. "All yours, big guy."

Taiki caught it, took his place and sank it next to the gouge on the floor. He about to offer his help to Mamoru when the shorter man waved him away.

"I've got this." Another three attempts worked to disprove that statement. "I've got this."

On the fourth, he gave a frustrated huff and a heavy heave. The javelin stuck in the floor, with the tip just punching into the floor's surface. The wooden shaft tilted a bit to one side when he let go of it. With an apologetic expression Taiki plucked the post from the floor and replanted it more deeply.

_At least his wife wasn't here to see that._ Taiki thought, amused but happy to avoid embarrassing the man further.

His work done, he watched Chie and Amber attach the sheets, tying each to two posts until the result was a five foot tall wall about twelve meters long. It was decided that the women would have the first turn. The men put some distance between them to allow them a bit more privacy. The wall they'd built was on the side of the fountain facing the door, should anyone else happen their way, so towards the door is where they went.

Devlin sank down to sit on the floor cross-legged, turned so that he could see the entrance out of the corner of his eye, while Taiki opted to stand. The grit in his clothes was chafing badly enough without folding his joints more than he needed to. Mamoru opened his menu and tabbed over to his mailbox to converse with his wife, walking away from the two of them for some privacy while he updated her. It was also clear he just didn't want to be around them.

Taiki gave the mostly empty room another look around, more to occupy himself than to actually search for anything. He let his eyes wander aimlessly, eventually settling on the blanket wall. Eight posts and seven blankets of varying colours. The latter had all come from Amber's inventory. She certainly carried around more of the things than he would have expected, though he recalled she got cold rather easily, especially while sleeping. Still, apart from his bedroll for sleeping in the field, Taiki had only one extra sheet that he'd yet to ever use.

He immediately recognized the blanket with the pink and purple horizontal stripes that he'd twice now been draped in. Next to that on one end was a thicker plaid quilt made from lavender and magenta squares the size of his palm. To the left of the first was a simple cloth that was a solid scarlet red. In the middle of the wall was a black quilt adorned with stitched in crimson dragons taking flight every dozen or so centimeters. His eyes lingered here a moment, looking between them. They were too far away for him to make out the minute details, but he could tell that each little dragon was different, in a different pose and pointing a different direction.

He suddenly felt aware of someone looking his way and heard Devlin stifling a chuckle beside him. At that moment it occurred to Taiki that he stood two full feet taller than the wall, and that the tops of both Amber and Chie's heads were staring back his way, the two of them directly behind the dragon stitched blanket. Brenda appeared oblivious, though that could either be due to her being an NPC or too short to adequately see over the wall. He felt another person watching him and turned to see Mamoru giving him a stiffly disapproving look.

An embarrassed warmth spread to his face and he quickly sat down on the floor, pivoting to face the door. Devlin's didn't bother to contain his mirth and let it loose, much to Taiki's chagrin.

"Real smooth, man." Devlin commented, looking over his shoulder at the fountain. "Hope you got a good enough look up there."

"I wasn't staring at them!" Taiki replied in a harsh whisper. "I was looking at the bedsheets. The one with the dragons."

It sounded stupid the instant the words left his mouth.

"I'll bet." Devlin said with a grin that pulled his mask taut. "Y'know, if you stood on your toes you might've seen the pillows, too."

Devlin broke into outright laughter as Taiki shoved him over. Taiki didn't bother trying to defend himself again and kept looking at the door. This inevitably brought his thoughts back to what lie ahead. If they could find the group that was after them, it could potentially answer a lot of questions he had about himself, but he knew the path they were on would almost certainly end in violence.

_Don't get ahead of yourself._ He thought. _First you deal with the threat. Once everyone is safe, then you can worry about answers._

He could sense a conflict coming. Once they'd tracked down the people tracking them it could only result in more bloodshed. Such a thought was not something he relished. His darkened mood didn't escape Devlin's notice. His friend righted himself and curtailed his laughter.

"C'mon, it was funny." Devlin adjusted his mask. "What's eating you?"

Taiki answered his question with a question. "What do you expect we'll have to do once we manage to figure out who's after us? Where do we go from there?"

"Depends, I guess." Devlin took on a more serious air to match the changing discussion. "They seem to want us dead pretty bad, so I doubt we can come to any understanding. We either turtle down in a safe zone and hide forever or we deal with them."

"Deal with them." Taiki repeated, a mixture of an obvious question and a dreaded statement.

Devlin nodded. "Comes down to it, and we're on our own, we may need to kill 'em all, or at least kill the ones in charge."

_Seems to be the way Aincrad works._ He lamented.

Taiki had no idea if he'd killed anyone or how many lives he may have taken before he'd lost his memory, but one felt heavy enough. He'd never forget the name Eckhardt, or the man's struggle as he died in his grip.

"Devlin," he knew the question was both incredibly personal and potentially something he didn't want to hear about his friend, but he couldn't help but ask it, "how many…how many have you k-"

"Thirteen." His masked comrade answered without hesitation or delay. Taiki's surprised expression spoke for itself. "Lucky number, I know."

"That was a quick answer." Taiki commented, still grasping the figure.

Devlin could only shrug. The top half of his face took on a deeply mournful expression. "If I have to stop and think, it means I've taken too many…Pretty soon we might all be counting a bit higher."

Taiki wasn't sure how he was supposed to feel about that number. It was higher than expected, but every life they'd seen him take was justified, or at the very least, justifiable. First was Zahnri, tracking them for his hunting party, then Odila during the ambush at the bridge. Still, even accounting for these events, eleven people had fallen to Devlin before they'd met. He knew he'd avenged his friends, but he hadn't thought that involved so many people. The accomplishment was both impressive and horrifying.

"You're givin' me a _very_ worrisome look." Devlin sighed. "Let's talk about something else. Anything else."

Nothing else came to mind, and the two sat in sullen silence. Eventually, the fairer members of the party were finished with the showers and came around the wall, dressed in their still completely wet clothing under their armour. There wasn't much point hanging them up to dry; clothes didn't stay wet very long in Aincrad so long as you were wearing them. Being filthy was miserable, but being wet was a status modifier. In addition to the soggy sensation was a resistance to fire and a boost to electrical damage. As they were, they would be comfortably dry within ten minutes, and any lasting moistness would pass soon after.

They didn't need to wait for an invitation. Taiki and Devlin were happy for the distraction, as they were eager to get washed up and back on their way. Taiki lagged behind the others, having more difficulty manually removing his clothes. He pulled his shirt up over his head, with the side effect of accidentally spraying sand in his face and eyes. The article was pulled back down as he remembered the other way to go about his task. He opened his menu, unequipped his outer clothes, then dropped them from his inventory, causing them to take form in front of him and leaving him in a pair of tan undershorts.

While his menu was open and once he was behind the wall, Taiki toggled on his ethics settings. The effects, for lack of a better word were immediately felt on his physical body. SAO's ethics setting was something that was somewhat discomforting in concept but sometimes practical in application. It was a simple on or off toggle that determined whether or not your character model was anatomically correct. With the setting on, he wasn't unlike a ken doll, not he would have any idea what a ken doll was, or its lack of genitals.

The current benefit was that he didn't have to feel self-conscious. He'd heard Mamoru mention bath houses in the real world and in some places in Aincrad, but the idea of washing himself in a room full of naked men didn't particularly appeal to him. Although at least in Aincrad the ethics setting might prevent the sausage fest from having any actual sausages. It allowed a person to be naked without actually having to be exposed. The setting was convenient, apart from the wholly disturbing feeling of flipping a switch and having your manhood disappear.

With his body altering toggle activated, his shorts were likewise discarded as he stepped into the fountain. While the point of the toggle was to avoid self-conscious embarrassment, he found himself still feeling awkward as he noted that he was the only one to fully disrobe. Mamoru had left on his shorts, while Devlin was on the opposing side of the spectrum. He'd removed his armour but left all his bottom layer of clothes on, consisting of a matching black, thin long sleeves shirt and snug fit but flexile pants that reached his calves.

"I'm a shy guy, beefcake." Devlin deflected lightly, confusing Taiki with what he assumed was a joke of a nickname.

Stepping into the fountain and selecting a spout, a new problem presented itself. With the column standing six and a half feet tall, Taiki found himself standing half a foot taller than the shower. With an agitated sigh he started to crouch down, and when that proved insufficient, bent at the knees to lower himself further. His stance was awkward and uncomfortable, but the pleasantly cool water made up for it.

Thankfully the time spent under the showers was without any hijinks or comment. Once done cleaning themselves they quickly washed their clothes, putting the soaking items back on. The water in the fountain looked just as clean as when they'd gotten here. The javelins and bedsheets making up the wall were returned to their respective inventories. The party partook of a quick meal to tide them over and made ready to depart.

It was almost nine o'clock at night when they reopened the door to start their sweep of the cave. It was tempting to set up camp in the safe zone and wait for the next day, but none of them wanted to be here longer than they needed. Once they were all out, the doors shut behind them, leaving them in the pitch black darkness of the cave, only illuminated by Devlin and Chie's lanterns. It was just a jarring a shift going from the bright light to the dark as it had the other way around.

There were no obvious threats in view, but they drew their weapons just the same. It wasn't until twenty minutes later that Devlin stopped to tell them of a mob outside the reach of the lanterns. Taiki could hear it, too, breathing quick, short breaths. Begrudging his role as tank, he raised his shield and moved forward to take point. Before he was ready a hideous wolf-like beast like the one they'd fought before came bounding out of the dark, jaws wide and snarling. It closed the distance too fast for Taiki to react with any conscious thought, leaping once it was in range.

His reaction was panicked. Instead of raising his sword or bracing behind his shield, Taiki surged forward to meet it, quickly stepping his left foot out and thrusting the corresponding fist in a straight punch. What might have been intended to strike at its muzzle ended up passing into its open jaws. Were it not for his shield affixed firmly to his forearm his fist might have disappeared straight down its gullet. Taiki shuddered from the impact and was nearly bowled over but managed to keep his footing. It gave a rough hack as his fist hit the back of its throat and tried to pull off of his arm. Thinking quickly, Taiki shoved his hand deeper, opened his fist and grabbed ahold of whatever he could grasp. He ignored the talons clawing at him and sank his falcata into its gut, lodging it in sideways to brace with. Once ready, he ripped his left arm from its throat, tearing out a generous chunk of soft, rent flesh. He tossed it aside as it left a red, pixelated trail as it derezzed.

The beast lifted itself off of his blade and staggered back, coughing and retching. Some of what used to be its throat lining dangled from its mouth, flapping with every cough. Moving for the kill, Taiki leapt forward, swinging his blade around to grasp it with both hands and stab it straight down through its head. It gave one last cough that sounded more like a dry heave and expired.

Taiki turned back towards his party, holding his left arm up to inspect it in the lantern's light and regarding it with a disgusted frown. His improvised maneuvre had left his limb up to his elbow and his shield covered in viscous slime that smelled like one might expect for having been pulled from a creature's insides.

_Gross_. He splayed his fingers and tried to shake some of it off when he caught notice of his team staring at him with a collection of surprised expressions. He raised his arm and quickly swung it downwards, audibly spattering the floor at his feet.

"What?" He started trying to wipe off his arm against the cave wall, with little effect save for leaving a glistening smear.

"Not something I was prepared to see today." Chie commented.

Taiki couldn't think of an appropriate response, so he settled for summoning a towel to sponge off the noxious gunk. He wrinkled his nose at the smell; he would not be keeping this after he was done.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It was two hours until the party came to a stop in front of a great iron door. In truth, it was not very far from the safe zone, only about twenty minutes in now that they knew the way. It had taken them this long to arrive here partly because the mine was built like a boss labyrinth, with chambers ranging in size from small rooms to massive areas the size of warehouses connected by a maze of corridors. The other reason was that this door was very obviously the entrance to the boss room, and they didn't want to enter it unless they were sure that was where they wanted to go.

The creatures inside hadn't been too hard to deal with one or two at a time, but more than once they'd had to avoid a full pack. Curiously, while they had found evidence of someone mining in the caves, they had found no miners. Either they weren't here, or they were staying out of sight.

The antechamber they currently stood in was nearly four storeys high, and was too large to see any of the walls from where they stood. The door itself was half that height and as wide as it was tall. Covering it was a mural of a giant beast stamped into the metal. It was much like the other canines they'd found in the mines, but had six cordlike tails, each ending in either a straight spike or a mass of bone that looked like a flail.

With no other obvious place left to search, they pushed open the grand doors to reveal a room massive enough to be its own cavern. Inside the door was a wide platform about fifteen meters across shaped like a half circle, with the flat against the wall. Over the edge they could see opaque, black water ten meters below. Straight ahead of them was a raised stone walkway above the water as wide as the door, lined with three meter tall iron poles capped with rough glowstones the size of a human head. They were shining with varying levels of brilliance, though about a third of them had fizzled out.

It was impossible to tell just how big the chamber was, the walls and ceiling were both well out of sight, but the soft reflection of light glimmering off the water implied they were incredibly distant. At the other end of the walkway was a round platform that looked to be two kilometers across, with several one or two storey structures adorning it. The buildings were arrayed in a ring around the center of the platform, where a three storey high wall of stone ran a hundred meter wide circle around whatever was at its midpoint. The wall was filled with arched holes, giving the outside of it the appearance of a coliseum.

Four spires rose from the town, at the midpoint of the ring shaped town in equidistant quadrants, standing forty meters high. Atop them were crystalline boulders as wide across as a man was tall. They looked to be massive glowstones, inactive at the moment. The town was currently illuminated more softly by more normal height street lanterns in observance of the current nightly hour, and the entirety of it was surrounded by a chest high outer wall likewise lit by spaced out glow torches.

"Wow." Taiki commented simply.

Whoever had chosen to live here had done so by essentially invading the challenge dungeon's boss room and colonizing it. It was an impressive notion. The walkway was nearly two hundred meters long, and the party wasted no time in moving over it.

About half way across they could see a lone figure plodding along on short stilts that were strapped to his calves. They looked to be inspecting the glowstones on either side of the path. If they had any life left in them, they were struck with a small hammer until the crystal cracked again and burned a bit brighter. If they were completely unresponsive they were lifted from the pole and dropped into the water to make way for a replacement.

When the party was about a quarter of the way across the figure stopped his ministrations and turned their way, raising a short telescope.

"Just act natural, everyone." Devlin muttered.

The figure put away the spyglass and next drew out a ram's horn, blowing into it and producing three short tones. They then turned away and quickly retreated to the other end of the walkway and towards the town with an awkward, gangly jog on their stilts. In response to the warning a pair or heavily armoured individuals stepped from the town gate towards them. They were covered head to toe in thick grey armour, the upper half of their faces hidden behind their closed helms. The only part of them that was uncovered was their chin and mouth. Both of them wielded a wicked looking poleaxe, and each of them had a spiked mace hanging in a loop on their hips. Both players bore orange icons.

"Really natural." Devlin added. He turned to Taiki. "Big guy, we don't need them knowing or asking any questions about us or you. Your glitch makes you unique, which makes you easy to finger."

"Not much I can do about it." Taiki replied.

"Pretend you're my companion NPC." Devlin suggested. "Stick with me and try not to talk too much."

Devlin nodded his head towards Amber's NPC. "Just act like more like her."

"I will avenge my family." Brenda said to nobody.

They were about ten meters away from the advancing guards when one of them raised a hand, palm out and called out the command to halt. Chie obeyed, and her party stopped behind her. At the town wall they could see a third guard watching them through a pair of binoculars, ready with a larger horn.

The one with the outstretched palm demanded. His tone was nonthreatening, but authoritative. "What is your purpose here?"

Chie held her hands a little out to her sides, away from her weapons. "We're only visiting. No cause for alarm."

"How did you find this place?"

_It must be really apparent we've never been here before. _Taiki thought. _Either the community is really tight knit or we've already screwed something up._

"Friend of a friend." She fabricated without a hint of pause. "Said this was a good place to do some shopping."

"Did he not tell you our rules?" The other guard, a woman, asked.

"He did not." Chie tipped her head in a slight apologetic bow. "Sorry if we've misstepped."

The first guard spoke up again. "Leave your weapons in your inventories. Nobody carries anything longer than your forearm. No f-"

"Just a sec." Devlin shot a hand up as an idea occurred to him, stepping forward. He pointed a thumb over his shoulder to indicate Taiki and Brenda. "What about the drones? The big one won't let me change its default equips."

He shot Taiki a look as if to say 'Just roll with it.'

The guards looked over Taiki and the NPC. The first gave a nod after a moment's consideration. "Keep them on a short leash. You're responsible for its actions."

With that interruption he continued. "No open fighting. For any reason. You need to trade blows with someone, declare a duel. Anything that happens within that is your own business. Failure to follow these will be dealt with harshly. Understand?"

It made sense. In a town populated by people that were already judged guilty of multiple, most likely violent offences by SAO's crime system, there would need to be a strong discouragement from that kind of behavior here to keep things in order. The tenuous stability they gained from joining together would be ruined quickly if they didn't restrict themselves from infighting.

"We understand." Chie said with a nod.

"One last thing," The female guard began, "if you happen to see an older, balding man of stout build traveling with a much younger raven haired girl, let the nearest guard know. If you're being truthful you'll be rewarded."

_I wonder what that's about._ Taiki mused, keeping quiet.

Everyone removed their weapons that applied to the town's policy, leaving only Taiki and Brenda fully armed. The rule obviously did not apply to the guards or their poleaxes. The two of them moved to either side of the party to escort them to the front gate, waving what Taiki assumed was the 'clear' signal to the third guard with the horn.

It wasn't a large gate, acting more as a boundary and a potential hindrance more than an actual obstacle. From here they entered into the town proper. At this point the female guard stopped them again, holding her hand out, palm up and open.

"First time visitors are required to levy tribute." She stated.

_So, now there's a toll._ Taiki frowned at the lack of an actual figure to the price.

Before anyone could make any questions, Chie opened her inventory and summoned a thin chained silver necklace. She handed it over to the guard, who held it up like she was clearly hoping for something significantly better but pocketed it all the same.

"Welcome to Rengoku." The make guard said. "Don't cause any trouble."

Their business concluded, the guards split off and went their separate ways, leaving the party to their own devices. Back at the walkway they could see the figure on stilts hobbling out to resume his duties.

The group gave the area they could see a cursory inspection. At no point had they asked about their names or inquired past the first cursory question of why they'd come here. So long as they weren't brining in trouble from the outside, they likely didn't care. It didn't matter if one was a thief, a bandit or a murderer so long as they abided by the town's simple rules. They could go back to their thieving, banditry and killing once they'd left, but while they were here they would observe and respect the safe zone. In theory, at least. The number of armoured and armed guards going about their business attested to the difficulty in putting that into practice.

Rengoku was much larger than they expected. They'd anticipated a few cabins from players huddling together for safety, but instead had found a full community. The actual layout was fairly thin, with Rengoku making up a tight ring around the central coliseum. The main roads went round the primary structure, and the side roads were like the spokes of a wheel, all leading to it. Rengoku didn't contain the coliseum so much as it was built around it. Now that they were closer, they could see that the arched openings were barred with crisscrossing iron beams on the inside.

_It's not a coliseum, _Taiki realized,_ it's a cage._

The town was mostly quiet at present, still in the limbo between the times when the people that lived in the day switched places with those that favoured the night.

"Place is impressive." Chie commented.

Devlin adjusted his mask. "I think Zerrin said about a hundred twenty people lived here, plus about twenty guards and militia. Don't know how many of them are actually here at any given moment, though."

It was a lot of red players to find all in one place, though it was important to keep in mind that a hundred forty people still only accounted for less than two percent of Aincrad's human population. In any town the tavern was often the best place to start in a search for information. A ways down the road they could see a larger than average two storey building that appeared to fit the bill. Light filtered out through its windows while the buildings on either side had gone dark, and the appropriate sounds could be heard coming from its doors. As they got closer they could hear cheering.

Chie pushed open the almost western saloon style doors to reveal a crowd of around a dozen people gathered around a pair of players in the middle of trading blows. One was dressed in mismatching common clothes while his opponent wore a pair of fine black pants with a matching shirt bearing a yellow strip running down the outside of the right arm. Taiki noted that two members of the audience were dressed identically to the more sharply dressed fellow. In the far left corner of the room by the stairs, an automatic piano mechanically played a relaxing ambient tune that clashed with the current atmosphere.

"Yeehaw." Devlin commented wryly, though nobody present followed its meaning.

The man in the common clothes grabbed a chair and tried to swing it at his opponent's head, eliciting a series of boos from the audience and a sharp, obscenity laced threat from the bartender. The attack missed its mark, and he caught a stiff punch in the face for his efforts. The fellow in the yellow striped shirt quickly moved in and tossed him to the floor. Before he could recover the better dressed man straddled his chest and started to lay into his face with a continuous stream of angry punches. When it was apparent he had no intention of stopping his two similarly dressed compatriots intervened, pulling him away from his battered foe. With one last kick to the ribs he relented, shaking off his comrades.

The man on the ground coughed up a tooth and dragged himself to his feet, slinking around Chie and her team as he shambled out of the tavern.

"Nice place." Chie sarcastically observed, heading towards the bar and waving down the man behind it.

He was dressed in a buttoned, long sleeve white shirt with the top buttons undone down to the middle of his sternum and the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and a pair of light tan pants held up by brick red suspenders. His dark brown hair was greased back, and his face was slightly scrunched to keep his brass rimmed monocle in place.

"Ah, the first timers." He greeted them with a suspicious look, eyeing the party and the weapons on Taiki and Brenda's hips. He spread his arms, gesturing to the row of empty stools in front of the bar. "Welcome to Waylon's Waylay."

"Are we that obvious?" Chie couldn't help but ask.

"Only first timers come through the mines that way." When Chie was going to ask how he'd known that, he gestured to his front window. They could still see the front gates from here. "Can't see it from here, but there's another walkway on the far side of the platform that leads to another mine."

"Do the two connect to each other or does it go to the surface?" Chie took a seat, prompting the others to follow suit.

"No." Waylon answered simply.

_So, they _do_ have another way of getting here_. Taiki pondered.

"So, new blood, what brings you to-" Waylon interrupted himself to shout at his human waitress as she nearly stumbled over her own feet, almost spilling a platter of drinks on their intended recipients. "What brings you to Rengoku?"

"We're on a hunt, and I'm afraid to admit our quarry might be a tougher catch then I thought." Chie explained. "I'm looking for a bit of an edge to tip things the right way."

They had gone over their basic cover before they'd set out. As far as anyone needed to know, they were a group of near do wells shopping for a high grade poison.

Chie put one elbow on the bar and leaned a little in. "I'm told there's someone here that specializes in making top of the line poisons. You know where I can find someone called Virul?"

"I do." Waylon answered, grabbing a few menus from below the counter and dropping them in front of the party. The price for such a question was apparently their patronage.

There was a good chance they could ask elsewhere for free, but going around questioning random people would only serve to draw attention and announce to even more people they were unfamiliar with the area. Besides, anyone who said they were going to buy from Virul's stock could certainly afford a simple meal.

Waylon waited patiently for the party to decide, stowed the menus back where they'd come from and flagged down his waitress to pass it to the kitchen.

"You can find Virul on the east side near the inner ring. Other side of the pen." He pointed towards the east wall in the direction of the walled cage. "If she doesn't know you she won't see you after dark."

He tipped his head upwards. "Got rooms upstairs if you need 'em. I'd be remiss if I didn't tell you that wandering around at night might not be the safest thing for a bunch of new folk."

The concept of 'after dark' was somewhat subjective when your entire town was underground, but the point was valid enough. More col passed between their hands as a pair of rooms were rented at a more exorbitant price than was expected, but not costly enough to make them want to search for anywhere else in the unfamiliar red haven. With no further business, Waylon went about his other duties.

Taiki said nothing, eating his meal without comment like a good drone. With nothing else to occupy himself with he tried to absorb as much information about his surroundings as he could. While the front entrance to the tavern had a simple set of swinging wooden doors that neither reached to the top or bottom the its frame, there was a more solid door made from a corudite slab inside that could be closed over it. Rungs for a drop bar were bolted into the wall on either side of the door, and the windows likewise had solid metal shutters that could be pulled down.

The other patrons were slowly filtering out of the place. There were the three with the yellow stripes, first to leave. After them there were several people dressed in mining gear. The rest looked to be your normal hodgepodge of random people. Two were wrapping up what appeared to be a date. Another person was lounging by himself reading a thick novel, occasionally licking his thumb to turn the pages while sipping at his drink. Sitting in the corner to the left of the entrance was a man tapping away at his open menu, stopping to scribble figures onto a notepad. He blinked and turned his eyes towards Taiki, taking notice of his survey.

Taiki averted his eyes, and the man went back to typing and scribbling. It was easy to ignore the passing attention of a drone. He was pulled out of his survey when he noticed the party was headed upstairs. Taiki was about to follow after when Devlin softly nudged his elbow into his side.

"I'll be up in a minute." His friend said to Chie.

She nodded and headed up the stairs with the rest of the group, leaving Devlin and Taiki alone.

Taiki gave his friend a questioning look but didn't speak.

Devlin ignored it and waved down Waylon, speaking up once he's come around the bar again. In preamble, he pulled out a coin of decent denomination. "Got a few more question."

Waylon sneered like he'd been insulted. "I'm no broker. I make an honest living here. You have some questions, you can go ahead and ask, but I don't peddle secrets."

Apparently he only cared that they were paying customers before they took any of his time.

"My apologies." Devlin rolled the coin between his fingers as he slipped it back into its pocket. He shot a quick glance at Taiki out of the corner of his eye. "You ever hear of a PvP group called the Bloodhounds?"

"Little bit." Waylon answered. "Word is they were some nasty sons a bitches. Last I heard they were all dead."

"You sure?" Devlin prompted.

"No, not really." Their host sat down on a chair behind the bar, getting into the conversation now that all the other customers had either already been taken care of or were on their way out. "Rumour is one's still alive somewhere. Guess he dodged whatever wiped out the rest of them. You hunting the last one?"

Devlin waved a hand dismissively. "No, nothing like that. Would you happen to know any of their names or guild aliases?"

"Names? No." That was no surprise, as most players that took part in PvP would hide such important data. "For the aliases, let me think."

Waylon turned his head upwards as he pondered for a few seconds. "There was the Beater. He was the leader, maybe."

The bartender started to count the names out on his fingers. "There was the Beast, the Bastard, the…the Brawn, the Bitch, and I think one more."

Devlin quickly jotted the names down on a scrap of paper as they were spoken. "Any idea which one is still alive?"

"No clue." Waylon said with a shrug.

"One more." Devlin pocketed the list of names. "You know anything about how they died?"

"Nope." Waylon stood up as their conversation neared its end. "But I know they tangled with some rough crowds. Heard they'd even tangle with other red hunters. A couple people thought they might even switch sides or end up on the other side of the hunt if they'd kept things up. They left the PvP business and went dark not long after."

"So, they pissed off some dangerous people, quit the hunting business, and then all died once they were out of the spotlight." Devlin repeated in summary, musing out loud. "What a conveniently quiet end."

"Yup." Waylon nodded, walking away to start closing up shop. "Convenient for someone, I'm sure."

Once the two of them were alone, Devlin turned to speak to his larger friend. "Well, that was revelatory."

Taiki put two and two together. "If someone killed the rest of my party, they might want to hunt me down as well."

Even though he'd awoken in a floor's boss room, he'd never actually seen what had killed them. They may have been killed by other players, or stranded in there to be taken care of by the boss like had almost happened to Devlin once. It wasn't unreasonable to piece together that whoever had done this could have realized that he'd survived, and were after him now to finish off the job.

Devlin lightly tapped his shoulder, nodding his head towards the stairs. "C'mon."

Taiki followed after him, grateful for his investigation, simple as it was. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it, big guy."

Taiki pondered what all he knew. It was good to get new information, but it was unpleasant to hear yet another confirmation on what sort of people he and his party used to be. It didn't sound like him at all, but there was no denying the fact that everyone who knew anything about him had an unfavourable opinion. He was eager to find out anything about himself, but every new scrap of information he got made him dread the next.

_Problems for later._ He tried to put it out of his mind. _First we make sure we're safe, then I get back to my search._

There were plenty of rooms upstairs, with a long hallway bearing eight on either side. Theirs were the two all the way at the end on the right. It was clear from the open, empty rooms that they were the only patrons staying the night. At the very end of the hall was a door that led to a small balcony and an outside set of stairs.

The rooms themselves were sparse but adequate. They each had a pair of twin beds on the left wall, separated by a nightstand, and a chair in the far right corner. A basic arrangement one could expect to find most anywhere. They were only single rooms, with no closet or anything else connected to it. Taiki's attention was drawn to the fact that the door had three deadbolts and a drop bar. The single window on the far wall was too small for a person to fit through, with shutters made from thick iron plates held shut by another drop bar. Taiki wasn't sure if he should feel safe to have these security measures or unsafe because they were needed enough to install.

Chie and Mamoru took the room at the end of the hall, with the rest of them taking the one next to it. Chie didn't want to cause any friction she could avoid, and was letting him avoid sharing a room with either Taiki or Devlin. Amber and Brenda would only take up one bed, leaving the other to Taiki while Devlin claimed the chair.

It was just after ten thirty when the three of them and the NPC were getting settled in when the sounds of an argument started filtering in through the wall to the other room. Taiki couldn't make out any of the words; the walls were thick enough to be both secure and dampened. They could all however hear the door to their room open and shut as one of them exited it, followed by another door opening. The door to the outside balcony and staircase.

This pricked his interest. Taiki looked to his roommates, who both raised their hands palm out at shoulder height in the universal gesture of not wanting to get involved. While he doubted Chie would up and leave or let Mamoru do the same, he had to check. Poking his head out of their room he saw the door at the end of the hall was still ajar, but had drifted close to shutting in the slight breeze. The door to the other room was closed.

Taiki walked outside, opening the door and stepping out onto the balcony. Here he found Chie, leaning her elbows on the railing and looking out over what they could see of Rengoku. She glanced over her shoulder at the intrusion and uttered a simple acknowledgment. From what he could see of her face before she turned back away from him, she looked torn. Uncertain. She'd removed her armour, and was wearing a simple set of pants and a green shirt with short sleeves that ended hallway up her biceps.

The planks of the balcony creaked softly as he walked over to join her, standing to her left side. "Everything alright?"

"Mamoru thinks we should bug out of here." Chie said after a pause. "He doesn't think we'll get anything here."

Taiki kept quiet, sensing she had more to say.

"Says there's no way Virul's going to tell us what we want to know, and is way too rich for someone like us to bribe."

Taiki couldn't think of anything to disprove that. Even before they had set out, they knew that anyone that sold items for more than a million col per dose was someone far too wealthy to want anything they could possibly offer. Still, here they stood.

She noted his silence, running a hand over her face and through her hair. "He's right, of course. I have no idea how we're supposed to get Virul to talk, but she's the only lead we have."

"It's not like we could just _not_ follow it." Taiki said. Something about that statement made him feel uneasy.

"Exactly." Chie agreed. Her voice was missing the assuredness it usually held, reminding him of their conversation in front of the fireplace not long ago. "Even if we leave with nothing, it'll have been worth asking."

Taiki leaned his own elbows on the railing, the two of them staring out together. "And if she doesn't answer…how hard do you want to 'ask'"?

A shallow smirk found its way on her face. "I'd rather it not come to a fight. This is their territory, and we're just visitors."

The two of them stood in silence for a few long moments, enjoying the cool air of the underground town. The cave, too large to measure visually, was vast enough to have a soft, pleasant breeze.

"I can't tell if coming here was a mistake," Chie admitted softly, "but with our contacts leaving us on our own I can't think of anything better we could do."

Taiki likewise stared out over the balcony. "He might complain, but it's not like he had any better ideas."

"That doesn't make him wrong." She countered.

"I doubt any input from him is going to be positive after your duel with Haruki." Taiki stated. "I can't imagine he was happy with how that turned out."

Her face fell into a dejected frown. "None of us were."

She peered at him out of the corner of her eye. "You mind if I tell you something?"

He nodded, but said nothing.

"I never wanted to lead this party." She confided. "It all just sort of…fell into my lap, I guess."

"You're doing a better job of it than I could." Taiki tried to cheer her up.

It didn't have much of an effect. He tried to think of something else to talk about, some change in subject to draw her attention elsewhere away from the doubts that were plaguing her. "If you don't mind my asking, where did you learn to fight? You were…really impressive. Not just with Haruki, but whenever we spar. It feels like you're more familiar with it than someone who picked it up ingame."

_She's like Devlin, a little._ He thought. _Skills from before Aincrad._

"Takara." She said, naming her son. "Once he was old enough to start going to school I started trying to get rid of the baby weight. People at the dojo near my apartment always looked fit, so I decided to check it out."

"Started with a couple self-defense classes." Chie gave a slim, but more genuine smile. "The kind where you blow a whistle and try and kick 'em in the balls. From there, I just kept going. Before I knew it I'd been taking Jujitsu for almost eight years, I think. Hard to juggle that with a kid, but it was worth it."

Taiki couldn't think of how you could expect to defend yourself with a whistle.

"It felt good. Pretty soon the extra weight was gone and I was the in the best shape of my life." Chie spun around in a one eighty, leaning back on the railing, placing her elbows on it behind her. "I'd hate to admit it back then, but I needed the discipline. Helped me put some structure in my life."

It felt like Taiki was missing the context to make sense of that part of her story, but didn't want to push her. "You ever get Takara into it?"

She briefly bore a wider smile as she let loose a breathy laugh. "He hated it at first, but yeah."

Her expression shifted back into a wistful stare as she turned her eyes downward. "I hope he's okay."

"Is there a Mr. Chie to watch out for him?" He winced internally. _That was not the tone I was going for._

"No." She briefly met his eyes before breaking away. "No, the two of us live with my sister."

_Don't ask anything too personal. _"Did something happen?" _Goddammit_! "I'm sorry."

"It's fine." She said with a sigh. "You don't have a kid at fourteen without getting used to people asking where the father is."

Chie cleared her throat as she stalled a moment. "The father was never in the picture. I…I didn't really get his name."

The pieces fell into place in Taiki's mind. She noticed what he must have been thinking, seeing the sympathetic expression on his face.

"No, it's not like that." She was quick to dispel. "I mean, I didn't ask."

His expression turned to confusion.

"Look," Chie said hesitantly, "I made some really shitty decisions when I was a kid, okay."

It wasn't hard to tell he'd broached a topic she didn't want to discuss. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to press."

"Don't worry about it. I'm used to it." She turned back around to stare into the night. "Just leave it be, okay."

Taiki nodded, keeping quiet. While they could see light and hear the distant whispers of activity coming from the other side of town, the section of Rengoku they were in had no active nightlife. All the shops had battened down their hatches and nobody could be seen walking the roads. There was nothing else to discuss, so the two of them simply stood there, looking out over the resting town and taking in the cool air until it was time to turn in themselves.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

With a desperate gasp, Taiki returned to the waking world, springing halfway into a sitting position and reaching his left arm up before his head fell back into his pillow. Cold sweat covered his brow, and his chest heaved with short, quick breaths. Forcing himself to calm down, he closed his eyes, took a deep breath and slowly exhaled out through his nose.

The time was a little after three in the morning, according to his HUD. He felt an uncomfortable chill, having tossed off his bedding when he'd jerked awake. His shirt and pillow were dampened with his now cold sweat. Accepting there was no way he was returning to sleep as he was, he sat up and swung his legs over the edge of the bed. With the town underground and the window shuttered up tight, the room was almost pitch black. Only a thin sliver of dim light from the street lamps made it through the window shutters.

He'd taken the bed near the window, while Amber and her NPC were in the one closer to the door. She sounded like she was still sleeping, arms wrapped tightly around her drone. Brenda's eyes met his, but she did nothing else, either to avoid waking her handler or simply because she had no directions to. In the chair near the foot of his bed, Devlin was harder to judge, sitting with his head bowed, but his hand still grasping the short sword resting across his lap.

"You alright?" He asked, revealing himself to be very much awake.

"Sorry I woke you." Taiki replied, avoiding the question.

Devlin said nothing in return.

He knew he should get some sleep, but his head and shoulders felt clammy. Already wide awake, he stood up and headed for the door. Despite not being able to see much of anything, the layout of the room was simple enough for him to navigate to the door without any issue. He tried to move as silently as possible, but the floorboards creaked in protest under his weight all the same.

"Where are you going?" Devlin lifted his head to track him.

"Going to wash up." Taiki answered, opening the door as quietly as he could. "Just going downstairs."

Devlin tucked his chin to his chest and adjusted himself in his chair. "Don't wander off."

Their rented rooms had no washrooms. This was not uncommon in lower end inns, since players in Aincrad had no bodily need for lavatories. Any restroom would lack the toiletries and simply function as a washroom. While anyone that owned a home would probably invest in the amenity, it was no surprise to see an innkeeper cut the corner and instead have a public washroom.

Taiki opened his menu, letting the soft blue glow illuminate enough of the stairs for him to avoid a misstep. Once he was on the ground floor he summoned a better light source. It was a small lamp that fit in his palm, with an open wick connecting to a reservoir of oil. He placed it on the bar top and summoned a book of matches to light it with. He wouldn't be down here long enough to waste an hour long glowstone.

The tavern was closed for the night, with the doors and windows locked and barred. The only thing moving in the room was him.

The stairs were to the left of the room at the back wall, and to the right was the way to the washroom. Inside were five shower stalls along one wall and five sinks with mirrors along the other. Placing the lamp on the sink next to the one he was using, he took hold of a rag hanging on a bar bolted into the wall. Taiki gave it a sniff, wrinkled his nose and summoned his own.

Scattered images from his dream lingered on the edges of his memory, but the harder he tried to grasp at them the quicker they slipped away. Once he was done he curiously pushed open one of the stalls to see its dimensions. The showerhead was a foot lower than he was.

He exited the washroom with a clean shirt and headed for the stairs, stopping himself when he noticed the piano nearby. For reasons he couldn't understand, he felt himself vaguely drawn to it. His course to the stairs was diverted towards the instrument. The lamp was placed on top of it and he sat down on the short bench in front of the keys.

He poked a finger experimentally into one of the keys, producing a louder tone than intended. The next few taps were lighter, trying to stay quiet. His hands were placed over the keys and a few more random notes were pressed.

_Quit stalling and go back to bed_. He thought. With how unpleasant his sleep had been, he didn't feel too motivated to return to it, childish as he knew that was.

As his mind wandered to the teasing remnants of his dream, his hands wandered aimlessly over the keys. In time, the random notes started to turn into a rough but noticeable pattern. His right hand had gone silent, resting on his leg, while his left stumbled through the beginnings of a tune. Taiki focused, trying to think of what keys came next, fumbling more than playing the piano. The notes may well have been only the result of idle hands and imagination, but he couldn't help but sense a familiarity to them.

The more he played, the more the feeling grew. He puzzled over the emotion the malformed melody evoked in him. It was a pit at the core of his being, a hollowness he could only begin to comprehend. The sense that something of tremendous importance to him was missing.

"What are you playing?" Came a feminine voice, startling him. Thankfully, he was able to stop himself from bashing the keys.

Amber stood by the foot of the stairs, dressed in her flowing teal nightgown with an azure shawl draped over her shoulders.

"I don't know." He placed his hands back on the keys, trying to remember what came next in the tune, but couldn't even piece together what had come before.

She stepped over to stand behind the bench to his right, noting his clumsy indecision as he pressed a key. "You play piano?"

"I think," his brow furrowed in concentration and frustration as he failed to recapture the melody, "maybe I used to."

She watched him, looking over his shoulder as he haltingly managed to piece together a few of the lost notes.

"Why are you only using your left hand?" She asked, curiously.

It was true that while his left hand roamed over the instrument, his right had remained still. "It's the only one that knows what to press."

A quizzical response, but all he could say. It felt like he was only playing half of an incomplete tune. He sensed that for some reason this was important to him, but like his dream, the harder he tried to focus on it the more elusive it became. The emotion it caused in him couldn't be deciphered, and the reason remained beyond him, like grasping at smoke just out of arm's reach.

He was pulled out of his thoughts as Amber took a seat on the bench beside him, folding the shawl to make a cushion for herself. With him already sitting at its center there wasn't much room for her.

She bumped into his arm. "Move over a little."

Not expecting this, he complied, giving her enough space. She scooched over to get more comfortable, stopping when her shoulder again pressed into him. She lifted his right hand from the keys and shooed it away. With nowhere else to put it he left it on his lap.

_Her hand's like ice_. While hyperbolic, he was surprised at how cold she was. Even through their collected clothes, he could feel how cool her shoulder was.

"You're really warm." She commented offhand. He supposed this was at least relatively true.

"What are you doing?" He asked as she pressed a key, holding the note down before moving on to another.

"Helping." She replied cheerfully, as though it were obvious. "I play a little piano, too, remember? Now, you lead, and I'll see if I can fill in the blanks."

Taiki raised an eyebrow. "I don't think that's how this instrument works."

"C'mon, try it. You're fumbling through half of it, let me try and help." Even with the two of them sitting, she was noticeably turning her head up to meet his eyes. "Besides, they say that music helps with memory problems."

He found this to be a strange notion. "Who says that?"

She shrugged, rubbing her shoulder into his bicep. "I don't know. People."

He sighed, figuring he might as well give it a shot. With the two of them crowding together on the bench, his left hand was closer to being directly in front of him on the keys. It was a little awkward, made more so because of his audience. He glanced down at her, partly to stall. Amber simply looked right back up at him with an expectant expression, softly lit by the small oil lamp. For the first time he noticed the colour of her eyes matched her namesake.

He broke away, focusing on the instrument. Trying to grasp at his ethereal memory had proved fruitless, so he simply let his hand wander again. It started out random, but like before the halting notes started to form a noticeable melody. Amber stared at his hand, watching its motions and mirroring them with her own right hand. After what felt like a minute or so she joined in, adding higher notes to the deeper tones he'd been playing thus far.

She might have known what she was doing, or she might have been fudging it just as much as he'd initially been, but as they continued, the melody became smoother. It was still clumsy, but had become more organized and sure. As they played, the hollow pit started digging its way back into Taiki's gut. This was all too familiar, yet alien.

_This doesn't make any sense. Why would I be familiar with only playing half of this piece, and why does it make me feel…sad?_

A nudge from Amber as she adjusted herself on the bench caused him to reflexively turn his head to her. She likewise met his eyes, smiling, but for the briefest fraction of a second he didn't see her. Instead, in a flash he saw a woman with long, bleach blonde hair falling to her death, screaming before she burst into glasslike shards.

His hand jerked, hitting the keys with a loud mess of jumbled notes as realization struck him.

Amber's smile quickly shifted to a concerned look as his face reflected what he was now thinking. "What's wrong?"

Taiki now knew what the feeling in the depths of his being was: loss.

He turned away, resting his face in the palm of his left hand. "It's a duet."

Like his part in the melody, he was one damaged half of a broken pair. Now that he deciphered what emotion he was feeling, it washed over him. He'd lost his memory and his party, and now he understood that he'd lost someone very dear to him. Worse still, he couldn't remember anything about her, leaving him grieving for someone he no longer knew. He still didn't even know her name.

He heard Amber say his name, but it barely registered in his mind.

First he had seen his party die, leaving him the lone survivor, then he'd heard just what sort of people they had been, and by extension what kind of man he may have been, and now this.

_Must every discovery I make torture me?_

He felt Amber place a hand on his shoulder. "Taiki, are you okay?"

His answer came in a voice low enough to almost be a whisper. "No."

The legs of the bench rubbed loudly against the floor as he pushed it away from the piano.

Taiki stood, turning his back to her. "I'm sorry, but…I need to be alone right now."

He could almost hear her hesitation, but she thankfully didn't force the issue. A moment later she stood, picked up her shawl and started for the stairs, stopping long enough to say one last thing to him.

"I'm sorry for your loss."

He stood there, alone, half lit by his flickering lamp. The mixing torrent of emotions was soon supplanted by a welling sense of frustration. He felt his loss like a weight in his chest, but knew so little about what all he'd lost or the people that were gone that he couldn't properly mourn them. Instead he was left with a vague, nebulous emptiness. It was infuriating.

No longer able to contain himself, Taiki grabbed a nearby chair, about to smash it against the wall. He caught himself before he could begin his swing, reigning himself in. He had enough presence of mind not to wake everyone upstairs or cause an incident with the owner. Even more bothered that he couldn't express his frustration, he gritted his teeth and flexed his hands. The hardwood chair creaked in protest in his tightening grip. Taking a deep breath, he placed the chair back down. A few more moments spent calming himself and he let go of it, leaving the wood where he'd held it crushed and compressed.

Ruining a chair wouldn't get him what he wanted. Instead, he set his mind to his real objective. His issue was not only that he didn't know his past, but that he was only getting small unfavourable tidbits. What he needed was the whole story, and who would know him better than the people hunting him.

_We're going to find these bastards,_ He found himself starting to eagerly anticipate their inevitable conflict. The confusing sense of hope he'd felt when he'd determined he was their target returned. a_nd I'm going to make them tell me everything they know about me._

* * *

Author's notes: Chapter ended up longer than intended, but I needed to get some character stuff taken care of before the coming conflicts. A bit more into Taiki's old party and relations, and a little bit into Chie's character.

Managed to get two thirds of the way through this chapter before I remembered Cedric wasn't here for any of this. I know I kind of propped up the mine and caves as a tough place to navigate, but I didn't want to waste everyone's time spelling out every place they go through when it's not terribly important.

Anyways next chapter we get a look at Rengoku and an audience with Virul, as well as have a revelatory bomb dropped on our party.


	19. Chapter 17: Do NPCs Dream of Sheep Mobs?

Taiki sat at the foot of his bed, fastening his upper armour in place. He could have simply equipped it from his inventory as he had several times before, but at the moment he just wanted something to keep his hands and mind busy. It was the first time he'd bothered to put in the effort to don it manually, and at the very least the experience was educational. The garment was mostly leather, with an adequate but none too generous plate on his chest and back, riveted to the leather. The grey plate of armour on the front only came down to just under his solar plexus, so it was fairly flexible. A pair of splits ran up either side, separating the front and back sections, with the arms on the larger front half.

It was awkward to don, putting his head through the relevant hole like a shirt while at the same time pushing his arms forward into the sleeves. With this already done he had to fasten it in place. The two sections of the armour were connected by leather cord that ran through a series of loops on either side, lacing them together. He gave these a good tug before tying them off, giving his armour a comfortably loose fit. Once this task was complete he moved on to his bracers and greaves. Like the armour on his torso, they were simple light plates riveted to leather, worn over his shirt and pants.

It occurred to him that for a man his size, he had surprisingly light armour. This may have been a testament to his speed and skill before his memory loss, or may have been due to the fact that armour in Aincrad very rarely actually deflected attacks, instead functioning by reducing the damage taken, though heavier armours would provide more physical resistance to the weapon's passage.

He was alone in the room he'd shared with Devlin, Amber and her follower, with most of the party in the tavern downstairs, though he could hear someone in the room next door. His clothes and armour applied, he stood to don his weapons belt, feeling the now familiar weight of his falcata on his hip. With his kukri lost in the sandstorm, he returned its empty sheath to his inventory. Lastly, he fastened the harness with his throwing knives in place.

A commotion outside brought his attention to the open window, where morning light shone in, if one could really call the light coming from the four grand glowstones standing atop their spires such a thing.

"Hey," He heard a voice from the doorway, "you coming?"

He turned to face Chie and gave a simple nod in reply, finishing his task and walking over to join her.

"Sleep alright?" She asked, noticing the dark rings under his eyes.

"Just another bad dream." He seemed to have a lot of those.

In truth, he had not slept much at all. After his improvised piano duet with Amber he had not gotten much rest. Having told Amber that he had wished to be alone, he had spent a good chunk of the early morning hours in the empty tavern, stewing in his thoughts. Taiki had only returned to their room after she'd gone back to sleep to avoid any unwanted conversation on the subject.

Presently, it was almost eleven o'clock in the morning, and the party had already eaten breakfast. Without waiting for Chie to lead the way, Taiki headed downstairs and rejoined the rest of the group. They were anxious to meet Virul and get this done with. Devlin was the only one still sitting down, munching away at a plate of some sort of breaded finger food that he couldn't identify. He'd swapped out his red cloak for a black one with blue trim. Mamoru looked more resigned; he had no expectations of this trip bearing any fruit. There was nobody else in the tavern, save for the owner, sitting on a stool behind the bar and reading a book.

"Alright," Mamoru gestured to the door, "let's get this over with."

Devlin finished off his snacks and pulled up his mask but made no moves to get up. "Hold up a second. Do we have any plan for when we meet Virul?"

"We'll have to play it by ear." Chie admitted, eliciting a frown from Mamoru.

A quick grunt escaped Devlin's lips as he leaned back in his chair, drumming the fingers of his right hand on the tabletop. After a few moments of weighing his thoughts he came to a decision, punctuating it with one last, louder tap on the table.

"Better idea." He waved his hand to open his menu and started prodding through it. "We try and bribe her."

"We don't have nearly enough money to-" Chie cut herself off as Devlin gave one last poke into his menu, producing a tone only she could hear. She opened her menu to tab over to her inbox, where a fresh trade request waited. Her eyes widened as she reread it. "What is this?"

"Think of it as my contribution to the team." Devlin replied.

"You're giving me over a million col?" Chie asked, incredulous.

Her surprise spread through the rest of the party. He was clearly the wealthiest person out of the lot of them.

"Just shy of one and a half," He corrected, "and it's not a gift, it's a trade."

He pointed at one of the daggers she wore. With the weapons restrictions in Rengoku, she wore a pair of thirty centimeter daggers, one on each hip. They had a slight curve to them and ivory handles. While pleasing to the eye, they were doubtful worth much. "I'll trade you one million, four hundred sixty thousand col for one of your daggers, and for letting me stay in your party this long."

Though he wasn't actively listening, and was nearly far enough away to not hear at all, even Waylon raised an eyebrow at this statement. Taiki was the only one not confused by this, at least, not by the trade. He was plenty surprised by the money his friend had. He reasoned that for someone used to acting in their own self-interest, Devlin was using the pretense of a trade, no matter flimsy and transparent it was as a justification to himself for his gift. After all, it wasn't really a gift if he got something out of it.

"Where did you get this?" Mamoru asked in disbelief.

"My party and I owned a house. None of us are using it anymore so I sold it." Housing in Aincrad was one of the most expensive investments a player could make, depending on the size and location.

The shorter man narrowed his eyes. "Wait, how long have you had this?"

"Since a while now. Little after we got my icon green." Devlin answered, turning to regard him directly. "What's it matter?"

"You've just been sitting on this? We didn't even need to go on that vault run." Mamoru started to raise his voice. "We could have skipped that ambush."

"I would have only postponed it." Devlin said in a level tone. "And last I checked I decide how my money's spent."

Mamoru was about to say something else when Devlin continued, cutting him off.

"I don't see you turning out your pockets!" The masked member of their group snapped. He then turned to speak to the rest of the party. "I swear, some people are just _determined_ to look a gift horse in the mouth."

That didn't make any sense. None of them owned any horses, and Devlin wasn't giving them the money to purchase one. Why they might look at its mouth was a mystery all its own. Judging from the lack of confusion from anyone else, Taiki ignored what he was going to assume was some turn of phrase and instead focused on the money. "You think it's enough?"

"It might be." Devlin said with a shrug. "She made at least fifteen million on those poison daggers, but we don't know how much they cost to make and how much was actual profit, and that was the strongest paralysis poison any of us have ever seen or heard of. I doubt they were something she makes or sells often."

"Not many players willing to drop that much money on a one shot item." Amber commented.

"And with the stigma on players that rely too heavily on poisons, and having her base of operations located in a hidden village, she already has a limited consumer base." Chie added.

Devlin nodded. "She may have just made a fortune, but if we're lucky she might be greedy enough to make another good chunk of money for nothing but answering a few questions."

There was also a good chance that whoever her previous buyer was, they were powerful enough that Virul would not want to sell them out for obvious reasons. Betraying groups of murderers was not often in someone's best interests. There was nothing they could do about that but hope they could be persuasive enough for her to take the money.

Chie unsheathed one of her daggers and held it out to hand it over, giving a heartfelt and sincere, "Thank you."

"Don't mention it." Devlin waved a hand dismissively. "Seriously, that's most of my savings, so let's get on with this before I start thinking about how empty my pockets are about to feel."

She accepted the trade, exchanging her dagger for the offered money and gaining a significantly better chance of getting the information they were here for. Without further ado, the party left Waylon's Waylay and headed across town to where they would find Virul. Information capable of saving them was in their reach, if they could only grasp it.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"She's not here."

"What?" Chie frowned.

"I said she's not here." The man behind the counter repeated. "Means she's not here."

He was a young man of average height and stout build that looked to be about seventeen, give or take a year. His black hair was shorn down almost to stubble, and his face was plain and forgettable. He was dressed less like a shopkeeper or attendant and more like a guard, with thick, coal coloured armour encasing him from the neck down.

On each of his hips were two long daggers, with two more affixed to his chest armour on the outer edges of his pectorals, handles downward. On both of his hips, the dagger in front had a scabbard with a bold red stripe running down its length, while the one behind them had a purple stripe. The scabbards on his chest each had a yellow stripe. Each colour no doubt signified a different flavor of home cooked toxin coating the blades.

He gestured to the room around them. "If you're looking to buy I can sell you what's on the shelf, but I can't haggle prices with you. What you see is what you pay."

The building was of a generous size, rivaling Geordi's estate, though the storefront was smaller. Closest to the road was the main building, making up what was probably the workshop and lab, as well as the store. It was about the size of a single storey barn, with at least five different chimneys, smokestacks and exhaust vents poking out of it at odd angles. The store was in the front, making up one room about ten meters long and seven meters deep. Behind it to the left was Virul's two storey house. Both the store and the home had walls made of solid, dark brown refined corudite. Nearly thirty meters behind both stood a large greenhouse where she doubtless grew many of her ingredients. The home and greenhouse both looked to be in the middle of having new wings built on to them, with the half constructed additions under canvas tarps.

In the storeroom was locked cases lining the walls holding vials and flasks of various colours, each bearing a tag or card listing a description of their stats and effects as well as their exorbitant prices. The cases were constructed of what looked like some form of crystal, clear as glass, though with a slight blue tint. The most expensive items were on the back wall, behind the counter where their host stood. None that they could see were more than a quarter of a million in price. Behind the counter in the back right corner was the door into the rest of the building.

With the size of the storeroom, Devlin, Amber and Brenda had stepped out to avoid overcrowding. The three of them were waiting in an open air diner within eyeshot of the estate, leaving Chie, Taiki and Mamoru to handle dealing with Virul. At least, that was the plan when they thought she might be here.

"We're here to place a special order." Chie stated matter-of-factly.

It was true enough, buying information from a poisoner could reasonably be considered such.

"Then you'll want to see Virul." The boy said. During their entire conversation his hands had rested on the hilts of his hip daggers, giving him a somewhat perturbed look. "Do you have an appointment?"

"No," Chie started, "b-"

"Then you won't be seeing Virul." He interjected brusquely.

Chie frowned. "I'd like to _make _an appointment."

"I can't make appointments." The boy said with a noticeable upwards twitch to his lip. "You'll want to speak to Virul for that."

It was clear he was being intentionally abrasive. He was certainly no salesman, and was obviously enjoying trying to get a rise out of them.

"Do you know how long she'll be out?" She asked.

"Nope. I don't even know where she is." The guard said without hesitation. A wry smile brought one corner of his mouth upwards. "Make it worth my while and I can send her a PM to let her know someone's waiting."

"You want money just to ping your boss?" Mamoru asked, incredulous.

"I've got plenty of money," The boy didn't bother to look his way, instead letting his eyes roam up and down Chie, "but I can see something else I might like."

Taiki was slightly behind her, but even from his perspective Chie visibly bristled, though she reigned in any further reaction. He didn't have quite so much restraint. Taiki was just starting to step forward when Chie extended her arm to the side and splayed her hand open, pressing her palm into his chest and stopping him in his tracks. He backed back up, realizing whatever he was about to do would doubtless only make things worse.

Chie took a deep, calming breath before continuing the conversation. However, before she could say anything she was cut off by the door behind the counter noisily opening. Another guard, dressed and armed the same as the one they'd been dealing with stepped into the room, bearing an irate expression.

"God dammit, Buro." He chided. "Stop jerkin' em' around."

The new arrival appeared older than his coworker, somewhere in his late twenties. He looked as forgettable as Buro, with his only distinctive feature being a small scar running vertically through his left eyebrow.

"I'll take watch up here, we're switchin' posts." The older guard carried himself like he was clearly in charge out of the two of them. When Buro didn't move he snapped his fingers and pointed towards the still open door. "Now."

Buro flushed with anger as he was cut down in front of the people he'd just been messing with, but obeyed without comment, slamming the door when he made his exit.

The older guard slash storekeeper gave a sigh and ran his hand over his head. "Sorry 'bout him, he's a jackass. Hard to find good help down here. I heard you lookin' for Virul?"

Chie nodded in the affirmative.

"Well, what he said was true. She ain't here and I don't know where she's gone. Virul don't tend to tell us much. She could be out on a supply run or meetin' someone for a sale. Hell, could be on vacation." The guard, whose name he had yet to supply, scratched a hand on his chin in thought. "Still, I'd be surprised if she wasn't back sometime in the next week or so. I'll send her a PM, but don't expect she'll change her plans on account o' that, 'less she knows yah. Got a name I can give 'er?"

If Virul had been the vender's real username, they could have messaged her themselves before even coming here. Instead, the moniker was just an alias. Even if they could, they might not want to give her any of their names by way of return address.

"Sato Yui." Chie answered.

The guard raised an eyebrow, but made no comment. The name was so generic and common she might as well have answered with 'Smith, John'.

"We'll check back tomorrow." She stated.

Their business concluded for the time being, Chie exited the shop, leading Taiki and Mamoru back towards the rest of their party. With the cage in the center of town, the border street that ran around that was the inner ring, with store's facing inwards. Behind them were the first establishments facing outwards into the next ring. Virul's estate was one further out in the third of five wide roads encircling the settlement, facing away from the pen. The restaurant the other half of their group had waited in was a short ways down the road, across the street to face inwards.

The seating to the restaurant was entirely outdoors, with only the kitchen and register being in a small bunker like structure. Like Virul's lab, it was made from solid refined corudite. Being situated in a mine for the raw material, the town would certainly have no shortage of it. With no reason to fear rain and no sunlight in the underground cavern, the tables didn't even have umbrellas. Despite having eaten just before they'd set out, Devlin was already finishing off another meal, while Amber nibbled on an appetizer just to pass the time. There were only two other patrons at the moment, on the other side of the kitchen.

The two of them plus Brenda turned their way as they joined them, with Chie quickly bringing them up to speed.

"Now what?" Amber asked.

Devlin shrugged. "I guess we're gonna be here for a bit."

"We wait." Chie confirmed.

The party was left with a potential week or more of time to kill in the red haven of Rengoku. It was certainly much easier to stay here than to leave and come back through the sandstorm again, as they still didn't know of the alternate method of getting here.

Devlin rapped his knuckles on the tabletop and rose from his seat. "Well, I'm gonna explore a bit."

"I'll be at the room." Mamoru said impassively, walking away to make it so.

"Wait." Chie raised a hand to point at Devlin as she started back stepping to follow after Mamoru. "Don't run off by yourself. Nobody travels alone here."

"Gotcha." Devlin looked up to Taiki. "C'mon, big guy."

The larger man complied without comment. He had nothing better to do and was curious about the town as well.

"Amber." Chie started. "Come with me or go with them."

"But I have Brenda." She replied innocently.

The older woman gave an expression that communicated well enough without words that the drone did not count as a buddy in the buddy system, much as Amber behaved otherwise. She relented without argument and beckoned at her NPC as she stood next to Taiki. This arrangement would of course either strand Chie at the room with Mamoru or force her to travel alone, herself, though Taiki chose not to comment on this.

It made sense to start their explorations at the largest, most obvious landmark, so the quartet headed straight towards the center of town. The pen dominated the settlement, visible from anywhere in Rengoku. As they approached it, Taiki took notice of the guardsmen patrolling the streets. There were only two in the immediate area, but everywhere they walked, people gave a wide berth. He also caught site of a pair of figures in the same black dress pants and matching shirt bearing the yellow stripe as the night before. Unlike the guards, they wore no armour, but unlike everyone else they wore a full sized weapon.

The inside of the pen had a few rows of ascending stone seats on the north side, making up a quarter circle, but was otherwise mostly empty space. The base of the rim was solid stone, with the arches beginning one storey up. Inside the entire surface of the inside were the crisscrossing iron beams. Now that they were close enough they could see they were as thick as a human thigh, and tightly grouped enough that a person would not be able to crawl between them. A few people in work clothes bearing the same yellow stripe were sweeping out the arena with push brooms, throwing up as much dirt and dust into the air as they successfully moved, while another of them was checking the doors to the pen. Each entrance was a large double door, barred from the outside. Each of the workers with the yellow strip bore a full sword instead of the daggers most were restricted to.

One of the patrolling guards stopped to exchange a few words with one of them before continuing on his way. Taiki deduced that the stripe must signify that they, like the guards, presumably worked directly for whoever ran Rengoku.

He heard Devlin snap his fingers right before he tapped him in the shoulder. "Hey, look at that."

Taiki followed where Devlin was directing his attention, and saw that there was one archway on the ground level. It was partially embedded into the wall, and unlike the other arches, was neither covered in the iron grid nor an open hole. It was attached to the wall, but did not create an opening in it. It was also a slightly different shape than the other arches. While the arches that were barred were more oblong, almost half circles, this one was much more upright. The construct was made from a matte black stone, and was a little larger than a doorway, with a red gemlike stone at the apex of the arch the size of a fist. It looked familiar, and the reason clicked with Taiki just as Devlin spoke up.

"We found the other way in." His masked friend said, impressed. "They have a webway gate."

A webway gate was, in simple terms, a teleporter, much like the ones found in any town. That was about as far as the similarities went. While a town teleporter could transport someone to any other town on the same floor, or in the case of the first and last towns, up or down, webway gates had a limited range. They were also far rarer. The colour of the gem on the headstone signified how far the portal could reach, and most webway gates were only in range of one or two other portals, though some were long reaching enough to pass between floors. The network of webway gates was like a messy, interconnected web, hence the name.

Some webway gates were so far from the nearest portal that they didn't connect to any of them, and were useless structures that nobody knew the purpose of. The red gemstone on this portal meant that it was long range, but dedicated. It was connected to only one other portal somewhere far from here.

Webway gates were also entirely incompatible with town portals, and could not be used as freely. A player that used a webway gate had to wait for a cooldown period before he could use it or another one again. One could step through one and find themselves just about anywhere, from the top of a mountain to the depths of a cave. Some lead to potential riches, while several were outright deathtraps, depositing players in areas they had no hopes of surviving, making their exploration a hazardous endeavor.

Still, webway gates were rare enough and hard to find enough that most people had never even heard of them, and only a red player had any real reason to seek any out. A well placed webway gate could connect to other floors, making it much easier for the exiled players to move up and down without the use of town portals.

They also functioned unlike town portals. A town portal was an archway filled with a swirling blue miasma that one stepped into, with the exiting player taking form in the general vicinity of the portal on the other end. This was to allow for more traffic, since any number of people could be arriving from multiple locations. A webway gate, while able to connect to multiple other gates, could only create a portal between one at a time. There was no miasma of roiling blue chaos; one could simply see and walk straight through, as if the two points in space were connected by a doorway.

Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, was that one didn't need to unlock both ends before they could be used. For town teleporters, a person had to first have visited and unlocked both archways manually. For a webway gate, you could travel to any other gates it was connected to whether you had ever been there or not.

Taiki, of course, knew none of this. For that matter neither did Amber, necessitating that Devlin explain to them all the aforementioned lore.

"So, you think they found this here and built the town around it?" Taiki mused.

"I doubt it." Devlin said with a shake of his head. "It's too convenient. Besides, webway gates don't respawn. It's safe in the side of that wall, but before that was there it would have been too easy to accidently destroy it in a boss fight."

The four of them stopped in front of the gateway, looking it over. Unfamiliar glyphs etched into the stone wove their way up and down the sides. At about elbow height for most people that weren't Taiki were a pair of stones inlaid into the arch, one over top of the other. One red, one blue. The only obvious means of control.

"They're destructible?" Amber asked.

"Not only that," Devlin began, "they're craft-able."

Her surprise was evident. "You can build teleporters?"

"Me and you certainly can't." Devlin was quick say. "I know you can make them in _theory_, but I couldn't even begin to guess the skills or tools needed, let alone the investment needed for any components it might take. I only know of four webway gates, and I've only seen two. Those were all naturally occurring."

He started to reach out to the inlaid stone buttons. "Still, I think this one was put here."

Just before his finger touched the control, the portal activated with a quick pop of displaced air, causing them all to flinch. The portion of the wall inside the archway disappeared, replaced by a flat pane of what looked like crystal clear glass. On the other side was the person who had activated the portal from his end.

He was dressed in thick, wooly furs and was covered in snow. The man stepped through, the clear pane that separated the two locations parting and flowing around him like hot wax. Once through he shook the snow from his coat and stepped aside for another five people to follow after. Taiki looked back through the arch, seeing a barren, bleak expanse of flat snow and ice that stretched into the horizon. The only thing in sight in the wind tossed snow was a squat bunker made from ice blocks. It was like staring through a window, except the other side was somewhere else entirely.

It did not snow anywhere on the eighteenth floor.

As each person stepped through, the waxy membrane flattened out, serving as a barrier to keep at least the elements from blowing through. The largest of the newly arrived party gave them a decidedly disapproving sneer as he led his group past them and out of the pen.

Amber gave one last look through the webway gate, giving a somewhat exaggerated shiver at the sight of the frozen expanse beyond. "Don't suppose any of you guys brought a coat?"

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The trio plus one drone spent much of the rest of the day ambling around town and getting a general idea of the layout. They were able to locate the walkway leading from the massive platform everything sat on to the mines on the far end of the chamber, though they chose not to cross it. As evening approached, a few dozen people returned from the mines, covered in silt and pulling carts laden with ore to the smelters that dominated most of the south west corner of town. Each obediently returned the weapons they used to defend themselves from the mobs in the mines to their respective inventories once they stepped back into town and filtered out amongst their chosen taverns or respective homes.

Among them were also a few of the heavily armoured guards, as well as a couple of the men in the yellow striped black suits. As they had explored around, they had noticed one of the latter type following them at distance the entire time. Their observer had made no effort to hide himself, communicating clearly enough that they were being watched.

Taiki could understand why, and assumed this was done for every newcomer. It made sense to keep an eye out on any new visitors to your hidden village of outcasts. Despite what they'd all been expecting, everything was surprisingly peaceful. Taiki couldn't help but feel there were either things happening behind the scenes to keep all this running, or that he had some incorrect preconceptions about the town's population.

Not that he dwelled on the matter much. His thoughts were still occupied with the events of the previous night, the hints of lost memories that teased the edges of his mind. Taiki couldn't help but think of the girl that had been in his old guild, and wished he had a better name for her than the alias 'The Bitch'. He could determine they weren't married, since when she'd died it would have left him with any belongings she'd had in her inventory, and he only owned what he could gauge as one person's worth of gear and nothing obviously feminine. From what little he knew, she could have been a close friend and comrade, possibly even a relative, but he couldn't shake the sense he'd lost someone much closer.

He only spoke enough to keep minimally involved in the conversations between Devlin and Amber, and at times wasn't even fully aware of what he was replying to. He was only shaken out of his ruminations when Devlin lightly elbowed him in the ribs.

"Hey, you in there?" Devlin asked, nudging him again. "You've been on autopilot for the last twenty minutes. You okay?"

Taiki looked around to get a grasp of where they'd wandered, and found they were near the front gate they'd first entered town through. "Sorry, just trying to remember something."

"Good luck with that." Devlin commented dryly.

He spotted the tavern they were staying in, and started towards it. "I'm heading back to the rooms."

It didn't take him long to reach Waylon's Waylay, leaving his two friends to continue without him. The place was busier than the last night, with several miners having come for an after work meal and drink. Judging by the smell, many were probably just here for drink. He noticed a few familiar faces from before.

There was the man in the striped shirt who'd won the brawl, cheering one of his compatriots that was arm wrestling one of the miners. He had short blonde hair and a square jaw, as well as a rapier on his right hip. There was the man reading his thick novel and drinking what looked like tea, sitting in the corner to the left of the door. He glanced up at him as he entered, but gave him no further attention. He had straight brown hair that was just long enough to be shaggy. Over his common clothes he wore a dark red poncho, and on his hands were a pair of fingerless leather gloves. Lastly, there was the man in the right corner, once again typing at his menu and scribbling in his notepad. He was dressed in a fine, dark blue suit with matching pants and jacket, with a rich red tie that matched his dyed, well-groomed hair. Like the man on the opposite side of the room, he too was drinking tea, and paused in his actions to give Taiki a quick once over as he entered, though his attention lingered noticeably longer. Upon closer inspection, there was a flask next to his teacup.

Taiki met his eyes for a moment, but said nothing and after a few seconds, he returned to whatever he was working on, tapping and scrawling away. The piano was what held Taiki's focus, but it was already mechanically spitting out some prerecorded tune, and the tavern was far too busy for him to just walk up and try and use it. Before anyone could start to wonder why the drone had wandered off on its own, Taiki made his way up the stairs to his room.

Despite his roommates still being out, he found it wasn't empty. Lounging in the chair in the corner was Chie, reading a dense looking book. She'd shed her armour, leaving her in a pair of brown slacks and a white V necked t-shirt.

"Hm?" She looked up from her novel. "Oh, hey."

She glanced past him. "Where are the others?"

He looked over his shoulder to follow her eyes on reflex. "Not far. I just felt like coming back. Mamoru?"

Chie nodded to the wall opposite her to indicate the other room they'd rented. "Next door. He's been sour since we came back, so I figured I'd give him some space."

He'd been expecting to be here by himself, with time and space to think. While he would normally welcome her company, it would now be a little awkward to simply sit down and stare ahead while he pondered his situation. She wasn't exactly intruding, she was here first, after all. Taiki didn't really have anything to talk about, so he sat on the edge of his bed facing the door and summoned a copy of the sword and shield manual book he'd purchased before they'd set out. Finding his bookmark about halfway through the hardcover tome, he resumed his studies.

If he were by himself he could go through the motions described on the pages, but doing it with an audience felt silly. Taiki was far enough in the book that the more complex maneuvers were hard to grasp from description alone, and he was having a hard time focusing. He shot a quick look back over his shoulder at Chie's book out of curiosity, finding the words 'The Idiot' running down its spine. His attention did not go unnoticed.

"You didn't come here to read." She pointed out, closing her book. "Am I intruding?"

"No." Taiki replied, closing his own manual. "And no."

"What's on your mind?" She asked. "You look like something's bugging you. Have all day."

"Seems like a trend I'm working on." He replied dryly. "Learned a little more about myself yesterday, and still nothing good."

"Not a fan of the piano?" She quipped, trying to add some levity. Apparently she'd heard the instrument, at the very least.

"I…I feel like every time I try and find out who I am it's a game of risk and reward." He leaned forward, placing his elbows on his knees. "And I keep losing every time. Just once I'd like to hear something positive."

Chie shifted in her seat. "For what it's worth, _I_ think you're alright."

"You're maybe a bit too easily lead, but you're still figuring out your place." She continued. "You've got a good head on your shoulders and a good heart. You're a lot more selfless than the sociopath people keep telling you about."

He turned to face her. Coming from her those words meant a lot to him, though he felt she was overselling him. "I've only been traveling with you for a couple weeks. Neither of us really know me."

"On the first quest we went on, when I was trapped and about to be crushed by that pillar, you jumped in and caught it." That had certainly been an exciting moment of the worst variety. "With a split-second decision you risked yourself on impulse for someone else, and you saved my life. You haven't even really thought about that since, have you?"

Taiki shook his head in confirmation. He honestly hadn't dwelled on it much at all afterwards. For all the times he'd heard third hand who he'd been, he'd allowed himself to forget what he'd done in counterpoint.

"_That_ tells me a lot about you, Taiki." Chie said warmly. "Enough for me to figure I wouldn't mind getting to know you more."

"The feeling's mutual." He felt his mood lifting. "I'd certainly like to get to know more about you, too."

While he would consider Devlin his closest friend, due in part to the fact he was the one he spent the most time with, sparring, or just because Devlin found him the most accommodating to his behavior, he trusted Chie the most out of anyone he knew. Taiki hadn't developed a very wide social circle in the couple weeks since he'd awoken, but when he stopped to think about it, he was thankful for the friends he'd made in his short time.

Chie placed her book on her lap and spread her arms out to her sides at shoulder height in an open gesture. "Seeing how I'm the only one of the two of us that can answer any questions about themselves, is there anything you'd like to know or ask?"

"There is something I've been wondering about." Taiki admitted. "What exactly do you get out of this? Helping me and Devlin, I mean. I know at this point you're too involved to just bow out, but you've been going out of your way to help us since you first broke up our fight with those guys outside Sveltheim."

"You think I have some ulterior motive, or something?" Chie asked with a wry grin.

"No," Taiki said, "but I see you risking a lot without really having anything to gain."

"Well, the folks that are after us never really gave us any chance to turn you guys over, and we're probably far past the point of that being an option." Chie reminded him. They'd been ambushed twice, and there hadn't been much time for conversing once the swords were already clashing. "And even if they did, they've made it plenty clear who the bad guys are. We're all in this together, but even if I could wriggle myself out of this, I wouldn't leave you on your own."

"But why stick your neck out for us, or any of the people who aren't here to help us now, for that matter?" He recalled how none of her contacts were as willing as she was to get involved with this, even the people she'd helped in the past. "Why put yourself in so much danger for someone you barely know when you have nothing to gain from it?"

Chie leaned forward in her chair. "Why jump under that pillar trap?"

"I didn't have time to think." Taiki countered. "You've had plenty."

"Does that change whether or not it was the right decision?" Chie questioned. "If you'd had more time to weigh the potential costs and rewards, would you have let me die?"

The answer was obvious. "No."

"Then we should be somewhere around the same page." Chie leaned back, putting together a more thorough answer. "I do what I do because I feel it's the right thing to do. Simple as that."

She turned to stare out the window as she continued. "Yeah, I'm disappointed nobody's willing to return the favour and step up for us, but I know we'd be asking a lot of them. I didn't help them so they'd owe me some debt. I help because that's what people should do, even if they might not always do the same for you."

Chie returned her gaze to him, giving a sincere expression. "If I only stuck my neck out because I thought I'd get some reward, I'd being be doing the right things for the wrong reasons. Any good deeds I'd do would be hollow, and if it didn't pay off in cash or praise I'd no doubt sour in time."

She placed a hand over the center of her chest. "The warmth and satisfaction I feel here are enough motivation for me."

Taiki mulled over her words. "You've really put a lot of thought into this, haven't you?"

A warm smile lit up her face. "I have. Truth is, being one of the good guys, it feels…well, good. Much as I want out of here, Aincrad's certainly given me the opportunity. Besides, I'd like to think my son would be proud, if he could see me."

Taiki found her smile contagious. "I'm sure you'll have some stories to tell him."

"I've had a few good adventures." She nodded. After a couple moments, she asked, "Anything else you'd like to know?"

Taiki found that he was still holding his manual in one hand and placed it on the nightstand. "If you don't mind, I think I'd like to hear a few of them."

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The rest of the day was spent hearing tales of past exploits: the rescue of a player trapped deep in a challenge labyrinth's anti-crystal zone, the recovery of a hostage held by amateur bandits far out of their league, and an odd murder mystery that turned out to have had no victim, but did involve a love quadrangle, a casket with a false bottom full of rubies and a painted goat. The day after was uneventful, with them checking to find Virul still hadn't returned and hadn't replied to her guard's message and spending much of the rest of it at Waylon's Waylay.

The only thing of note was the sudden swell in business at Waylon's. Several of the rooms were rented out by a few solo players and a couple parties. They'd arrived not far apart from each other, but the only thing they had in common was that their parties were composed of both red and green palyers. The tavern was kept open later into the night to accommodate the new guests, who apparently got along well enough for yellow grade duels to be declared and blows traded more than a few times. Eventually, the party's icons reverted from orange to green as the forty eight hour cooldown passed, but nobody in Rengoku seemed to treat them any different.

The group, minus Mamoru, who had not wanted to leave the tavern, spent the next morning checking the impressive wares of daunting prices of the shops in the inner ring. Curiously, they all started to close their doors in the midafternoon. It was about this time they noticed that what looked like most of the town's residents were filtering in towards the coliseum. Moments later, a loud, long tone like a ship's horn blared from the pen. It was easy to guess what it was announcing.

With nothing else to do they tagged along and were able to find a set of seats in the back of the quarter circle stands within the coliseum, now full of the town's populace while a man in the center of the stadium gave a short speech about giving thanks to someone named 'Founder Brisbane'. What must have been every guard in Rengoku was arranged in a ring halfway into the pen, their numbers bolstered by the inclusion of several of the overseers, the figures with the yellow striped shirts. The latter's armour were distinguished by the same yellow stripe they wore on their clothes. They were unmoving, staring into the center of the pen. When the horn sounded twice more, the armoured guards began to drum the pommels of their poleaxes against the ground in a steady beat as the gate opposite the stands burst open to admit a larger figure in ludicrously ornate armour.

It was the same shape and style as the guards, covering him in full plate, save for the lack of helmet. What set it apart was that it was made of a material that shone like gleaming, polished silver, casting a halo of fractured reflections around his feet as he walked. Hanging on his back was a flowing scarlet cape that was tailored perfectly so that the bottom edge of the fabric would just barely skirt the ground. From what could be seen of his face, he was somewhere in his late middle ages, with steel grey hair and a worn complexion. With his right hand he carried a longsword with a carbon black blade.

When the glowing champion took his place among the others, they gave one final beat with their polearms. After what felt like a full minute of silence a bolt of lightning struck the center of the arena, and in a shockwave of displaced air the dungeon boss spawned. It was a creature much like the wolf beasts in the mines, with the immediate distinction of being nearly two stories tall. Its fur constantly ripples as if it were alive in its own right, and whipping around behind it were half a dozen tendrilous tails. Raising his sword and bellowing a command, the champion and his knights attacked the monster at once from all sides.

The battle took over half an hour, ending when the silver knight delivered the final blow, stabbing his sword up through it chin and out its right eye.

It was eleven more days until they heard anything about Virul, with Norris, the older guard only telling them, "She'll be in tomorrow."

By then, they were getting anxious to leave Rengoku. While the town had died down a bit after the event with the area boss, the inflated price on all the goods and services the settlement had to offer was starting to bite into their coffers. Living underground was also fast getting agitating, not seeing the sun or having any real, natural sense of what time it was apart from the clock in one's HUD. This was exacerbated due to the fact that for some reason the days in Rengoku started and ended about three hours early. Thankfully, the person that had been keeping an eye on them decided they weren't worth the hassle of trailing and left them alone after the fifth day.

They'd received periodic updates from Cedric, checking in and letting them know Haruki hadn't run off. The two of them actually got along well enough when Haruki wasn't in one of her moods. Still, they were both getting anxious for their return.

At noon, most of the party headed back to Virul's to finally meet with Virul. Mamoru had once again opted out of joining them, but had made a point of stating he was tired of waiting at Waylon's. In response to this, Devlin was acting as his buddy, much to his chagrin. The rest of the group were greeted by Buro, though his attention was less than appreciated from Chia or Amber.

"She here?" Chie asked disdainfully, choosing not to address his refusal to lift his eyes to meet hers.

"Yup." He replied, leaning forward with his hand in his left palm. Without averting his unwanted gaze he opened his menu and one hand typed out a quick PM. "She should be up soon."

Chie crossed her arms over her chest and his eyes moved to Amber. When she did the same he paused, shrugged and moved on to Brenda. A couple minutes later the door behind the counter opened and Norris entered, escorting a woman in a somewhat anachronistic white lab coat. Her arms were covered up to the elbows in latex gloves. Hanging around her neck was a primitive filtration mask. On her forehead was a pair of goggles and over her eyes were a slim pair of glasses. She had raven hair, held in a tight bun on the back of her head, though one lock managed to escape and hang free down to her chin on either temple, framing a sharp, youthful face that was just under twenty. The girl stood a few inches over five feet tall, and looked like a young librarian had gotten fused with a chemist.

Her first action upon entering the room was to give everyone a quick once over, frown deeply, and then briskly stride over to Buro to slap the elbow supporting his chin out from under it while using the other hand to encourage his face to meet the countertop with a satisfying _smack_. Norris looked about as pleased with that as Chie felt.

"Stop antagonizing my customers!" She shouted into his ear. Virul shot a disapproving look at Taiki and Amber. "And I told you, no drones!"

She let him go, smacking him in the back of the head once for good measure. "Make yourself useful and go prep the third centrifuge!"

Norris watched him slink out before speaking up. "Y'know, if you let me hire someone from outta town I could prob'ly find us better help."

Virul ignored his comment. "You've been letting drones in here?"

Norris shrugged, unperturbed by her outburst as one no doubt used to it. "Nobody ever has 'em, guess it slipped my mind."

Virul scrunched her face in agitation at his answer.

"Excuse me," Chie interjected lightly, "I'm sorry, is something wro-"

Virul pointed a finger at Taiki and Amber. "Get them out. Now. No drones in my shop."

Chie blinked at the sudden, direct command, taken somewhat aback. "They a problem?"

"They're stupid and clumsy and always bumping into everything." Their host belted out. "I don't want them mucking up my products."

"We've had a coup-" Norris started, interrupted by Brenda.

"I will avenge my family!" The NPC declared as if it were the most appropriate time to do so, drawing a stern scowl from Virul.

"A couple…expensive incidents." Norris finished.

"Alright, sorry." Chie said, holding her hands up, palms out. "Amber, take Tai and Brenda outside somewhere."

He wanted to stay, but Taiki put up no argument, following Amber and Brenda out of the store, the latter heavily bumping her shoulder into the doorframe as she passed through. This left Chie alone out of the party.

"Alright, down to business." Virul said, using the back of one of her fingers to brush one of the stray locks away from her face. "Sorry for the brusque introduction, but I cannot stand drones. That said, I have not been back long and I have a lot of work waiting for me."

"I'll try and make this quick." Chie stepped up to the counter now that they were getting started. "I have something of a special request."

"Yes, Norris told me as much." Virul interjected before she could explain herself. "What exactly are you looking for? A straightforward poison, potion inhibitor, maybe something with a necrotizing effect?"

"I'm looking for information," Chie clarified, "about-"

Virul cut her off with a haughty laugh.

"Do I look like an info broker?" She asked, gesturing to her attire. "I sell poisons, not bits of data."

Chie tried for a third time to explain what they were here for. "I'd like to purchase information on one of your previous customers."

Norris frowned at this, and subtly moved his hands to let his thumbs rest on his waist belt next to the handles of two of his daggers.

She laughed again, but humoured the offer. "What could you possibly have that's worth selling out any of my clients?"

"I'll get straight to it." Chie said bluntly. "I can pay you one and a half million col. All I need is for you to answer a few questions."

Virul's eyebrow ascended far enough to disappear under her goggles. "That's quite a lot of money for 'a few questions'."

"You're in the wrong place for that sort of business." Norris stepped forward. "You should leave before you waste more of everyone's time."

"Now, now, let's not be hasty." The chemist said quickly.

Her guard's surprise was evident. "You can't seriously be considering this."

"Possibly." Virul said simple, drumming her fingers on the counter as she weighed the amount of money in her mind.

"This is a bad idea." Norris leaned in to speak more quietly and directly. "You know what would happen if this got out."

"We're expanding, and all they want is a little info." Virul replied, not bothering to speak in the same volume. "Might as well be free money."

Her guard's frown deepened as he leaned his head back away from her, finding the idea entirely objectionable. "As the commander of your guard, I feel it is my duty to inform you that this can only end poorly."

"I think I'd like Mercer up front today." Virul said coldly. "Go get him."

His clenched his hands, and was about to say something else when she spoke over him.

She glared. "Do not make me repeat myself."

Despite apparently being used to her behavior, he wasn't used to this much of it being directed his way. Norris returned the glare, but acquiesced, parting with the words, "If this blows up in our faces, don't be surprised when I can't keep you safe."

Virul watched him go, waiting until the door closed to resume her conversation with her current patron. "You have my attention. Unfortunately, I am truly busy right now. I was away longer than I'd intended and I need to get to work. Come back tomorrow, say…three o'clock, and we'll talk. Pay me half now and half when we meet."

Chie opened her menu and summoned the requested amount of coin, placing it on the counter. "Thank you."

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With their objective finally within reach, the rest of the day passed by quickly enough. When the time came around for their meeting, they checked out of Waylon's and had the entire party head to Virul's. Since she had insisted on having no NPCs inside, Taiki and Brenda would need to wait outside again. On Devlin's suggestion, he would wait with them at the nearby outdoor restaurant across the street so they could keep an eye on things if needed. Mamoru adamantly refused to partake in this venture any more than he had to, and while he didn't want to stay with Devlin and Taiki, that was what he chose.

Not wanting to get into a pointless debate, and knowing that Devlin would have the best eyes to keep on watch, this left Chie and Amber to attend their appointment with Virul. While the two of them entered their host's establishment for the last time before they could leave the town behind, the other three players and their NPC took a spot at a table where Devlin could keep a line of sight in Virul's while Taiki sat opposite him where he could watch down the road. Mamoru was more apathetic, sitting with his back to the street. Lastly, Brenda was opposite him.

When the two women entered the storefront, Norris was waiting for them, arms crossed and appearing quite upset. Once they were inside he brushed past them to lock the entrance, flipping the 'open' sign to display 'closed' instead. That done, he started towards the door at the back of the shop.

"Follow me." He said brusquely. "She's waiting in the lounge."

True to his word, Virul was awaiting their arrival in a room a little down the hall. His part complete, he excused himself with one last stern look at his boss. The lounge was comfortable enough, with the corudite walls coated in a stained oak wood façade, partly covered again with rich satin tapestry. The floor had a rug think enough that Chie could feel her feet sink into it as she walked. In the center of the room was a low table made of luxurious black ebonwood. In front of it was a long leather clad sofa, and on the far side facing their way was a matching arm chair. On it sat Virul, drinking from a crystal glass. In the center of the table was a decanter and four more glasses.

"Welcome back." She waved her arm at the sofa. "Please, take a seat."

"Thank you again for meeting us." Chie took a seat to Amber's right. "I know this probably isn't something you normally accommodate."

"If there's profit to be made, I'm always open to new things." Virul said with a smile. "You have the other half of my money?"

Chie summoned the coinage and placed it on the table, eliciting an approving nod from the chemist.

"Fantastic." Virul emptied her glass and reached for the decanter. "Care for some refreshment?"

Chie hesitated, but knew it would be rude to refuse it. "Yes, thank you."

"It's a wonderful Jotenheim brandy." Their host poured the two of them a glass and refilled her own.

Chie and Amber accepted their respective beverages. There was a long silence as they all held their glasses without actually imbibing the liquor, broken when Virul gave an amused smile.

"Worried about taking drink from a poisoner?" Virul asked, downing the contents of her glass and pouring herself another refill.

"I hope you'll forgive my caution." Chie took a sip.

"Absolutely." She said in understanding. "Now, ask away."

Zahnri's dagger was summoned from Chie's inventory, the residue still coating the blade. "I'd like to know as much as you can tell me about whoever bought this."

Virul reached across the table to accept the item. She appraised the leftover gunk, then sniffed at it. "Ah, yes, I remember this. One of my finer works."

She placed the dagger on the table. "I sold this a while ago. To a…Zadi? No, Zahnri. Mousey little man. He bought a few doses, if I recall. He used this on you, I take it. Impressed?"

"Yes, and it was." Chie admitted. "Dropped me like a sack of rocks."

"Twice, myself." Amber added.

"Well, I hope you don't hold a grudge against me for the actions of my clients." Virul smiled coyly.

"Not at all." The older woman said, getting back to the reason they were here. "I do have problems with his companions. He was with a guild or party, and I doubt he could purchase something like this alone. Can you tell us anything about the people he worked for?"

"I do believe he purchased this using a guild account. That was quite some time ago, however." Virul stared into her glass as she briefly swirled its contents. "If you'll excuse me for a few moments I can check my records."

Chie took another shallow sip from her glass. "Thank you."

Their host emptied her glass again and exited the room, leaving Chie and Amber in the lounge to wait alone.

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"I wish they'd hurry up."

They'd hadn't been waiting long, but it only took a few minutes for Mamoru to voice his impatience. The restaurant, which they'd learned was named the _Bistro Bunker_, due to the construction of the kitchen at its center, wasn't particularly busy, though there were a few other patrons nearby. Devlin had decided to make the most of their stay and was enjoying a large plate of some kind of meat from an animal he didn't bother to learn the name of. Mamoru had ordered a drink that Taiki found sweet enough to be unpleasant just to smell that he was nursing it every few seconds. Taiki wasn't hungry, and was trying to keep his eyes peeled for anything, though he couldn't tell what he was supposed to be looking for. Brenda simply stared forward.

"Calm down." Devlin said between bites. "It's been like, five minutes."

He had nothing to add to their bickering back and forth, so Taiki kept quiet, scanning and rescanning everything he could see. The waitress sauntered between tables, dressed in a black and white maid costume that was at constant risk of forcing her breasts up out of the low cut top. She collected payment from a table with two overseers getting up to leave, delivered a bowl of soup to a woman covered in impractically spikey armour that would no doubt leave gouges in the chair once she left, a cup of tea to a man with shaggy brown hair and a steaming plate to a man in western garb and a wide duster hat. The rest of street was fairly empty, as far as he could see.

Taiki paused, rewinding a few seconds and directing his attention to the man with the tea. He was already looking their way, only averting his eyes when Taiki's met his. Taiki directed his gaze elsewhere to keep from spooking him, and a few seconds later, he took a sip of his tea and stared at them again over the rim of his cup. His eyes stayed on them until Taiki looked in his general direction.

Taiki scratched at his upper lip to mask his mouth. "We're being watched."

Devlin paused for a fraction of a second, but kept acting like he hadn't said anything. "Where?"

"Behind you. Other end of the restaurant by himself. Mussed up brown hair." He explained. "Too far to hear us."

When Mamoru started to crane his neck to search for their observer, Devlin chided him in a harsh whisper. "_Don't look! _Do I seriously need to explain how stupid that is?"

Mamoru scowled but stopped himself. "Maybe it's just one of the overseers."

"No, they left us alone days ago." Devlin gave a subtle shake of his head. He turned to his larger friend. "You sure?"

"Not entirely." Taiki admitted. "But I saw him a few times at Waylon's, always alone and never actually doing much of anything. He keeps looking this way"

"So, what now?" Mamoru whispered, leaning forward like he was in a group huddle and earning an irritated expression from Devlin. "We can't exactly go over there and talk to him. How can we even tell for certain he's watching us?"

"We talk to him, but not here." Devlin kept eating. His outward demeanor hadn't changed a bit. "Hey, you guys wanna see somethin' cool?"

He dug into one of his pockets, pulling out a small round mirror the size of a large coin, holding it by letting it rest against the inside the first knuckle of his right ring finger and his palm. With his head straight ahead, he angled his hand around until he spotted the man described in the reflection. "Taiki, don't fight it. Let it happen."

This only confused him. "Huh?"

Devlin's only explanation was to arch his back and produce a long, wide but otherwise silent yawn. The effect only took a second. Taiki yawned, Mamoru yawned, and although subdued, the man with the shaggy hair yawned.

"Gotcha." Devlin muttered. "Alright, we need to play this safe, assume he isn't working alone. With our luck he might be with the guys that keep-_shit!_"

The man got up from his seat and started briskly walking away.

"He must've figured out we made him." The table shuddered as Devlin quickly took to his feet to follow after him. "Taiki, with me! Mamoru, go check on the girls! There's a good chance this is going to get ugly!"

The man with the shaggy hair shot a glance over his shoulder, saw they were chasing after him, and took off running. Mamoru stood, standing stock still, save for small, panicked motions before running off the street in the opposite direction towards Virul's.

Brenda simply sat there, turning her head one way, then the other to watch them all leave. Alone with no orders, the NPC kept staring idly forward at nothing. A few minutes later there was the loud blare of the horn from the center of town. After a couple more minutes, Brenda suddenly shot to her feet, knocking the table over and startling the waitress. The NPC pivoted on one foot and launched into a full sprint in the same direction as Mamoru.

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_Where is everyone?_ Taiki wondered to himself as he and Devlin took off from the restaurant, leaving Mamoru and Brenda behind.

The street was almost completely empty, with nobody in sight apart from the man they were chasing and one or two distant pedestrians. Whoever they were after was running outwards away from the pen. The man had quick legs, but they were steadily gaining, Devlin pulling ahead of the larger, slower Taiki. When they reached the outermost ring, the figure shot to the right, running into the slimmer alleyway between the outer buildings and the ones behind them inwards. Devlin and the running man disappeared a moment from Taiki's view before he caught up to the turn, seeing them vanish again as they turned again into the space between two single storey structures.

Taiki rounded the corner to in time to witness the running man sprinting along the roof perpendicular to him off to his left, jumping from one rooftop to the next. In a split second Devlin climbed up after him, planting his foot on a window sill, springing upwards and grabbing the lip of the roof. Once up, he continued his pursuit without a moment's pause. Taiki attempted to follow, making a running jump and placing his foot on the same window sill, only to have it break off from the wall under his weight and drop him to the ground.

_Shit._ He cursed inwardly, taking back to his feet. He'd lost sight of them, but ran in the last direction he'd seen them go.

He slowed as he went on, hearing a crash off to his right, followed a few moments later by the sound of glass breaking back in front of him. For a full minute there was silence, and he had to accept he'd lost them.

"Great." Still in the alley between the fifth and fourth rings, he headed towards the nearest opening to try and head to the main road and get a better view from there.

He'd just stepped around the corner when the glint of slashing steel made him lurch backwards, narrowly avoiding getting stabbed in the face by the quarry he'd lost. The shaggy haired man pressed the attack, try to capitalize on his surprise. Taiki's shield was in his inventory, but he was still wearing his falcata. He tried backing up to give himself the much needed space to draw it, but the man matched him pace for pace. Mentally switching to another weapon, Taiki reached for his karambit knife with his main hand. Changing from retreat to attack, he stepped forward, drawing his karambit in a reverse grip from its sheath just above his belt on his right side.

Swatting away his attacker's knife hand mid-stab, he brought his own weapon up in an uppercut, catching the upturned point of the karambit in the soft flesh behind his chin. The knife sunk deep and the force of the blow lifted him to his toes. The man's eyes bulged in surprise as the tip of the blade punching into the roof of his mouth. Jerking his hand back, the knife sliced its way through the front of his face. Taiki followed this up by snapping his left hand out in a punch to the bridge of his nose.

The man staggered back, about to ready himself for another attempt when Devlin grabbed onto him from behind, wrapping one arm around his neck and performing a hip toss.

"Grab him!" Devlin shouted as he wriggled from his grasp.

He struck out with the knife as he tried to back away, but bumped against the building behind him. Taiki waited for the strike to pass and surged forward, grabbing for the man's weapon and managing to catch his hand. Digging his fingers in under the fingerless glove the man wore, he pulled the garment off, forcing the knife from his grip in the process. With the weapon out of the way he surged forward, driving his shoulder into him and slamming him into the wall with a resounding thud and a rush of air as the breath was forced from him. Taiki was dimly aware of a tattoo on the man's now exposed hand, but everything was happening too quickly for him to think to try and make it out.

The shaggy man squirmed to the side, escaping the attempted pin. As he tried to end the engagement by running away. Devlin latched a hand onto his collar and thrust the dagger he'd bought from Chie into his spine, twisting it in and causing his legs to spasm. When he started to cry out, Devlin again wrapped his off arm around his neck, holding onto him and cutting off his air supply. The two of them staggered in the struggle. Taiki was about to get back into the melee when Devlin pulled out his dagger, then shoved it back in, roughly stabbing him in his kidney over and over again.

"What are you doing?" Taiki shouted as the man died. "What the hell?!"

"We need to go!" Devlin yelled back. "We need to go _now!_"

Taki was taken aback by the almost panicked tone of his friend enough to delay his questions.

When it was apparent there was nobody else to attack them, Devlin ran inwards back towards Virul's. Taiki trailed after, confused, sheathing his karambit. As before, the street was barren of anyone else.

"Where the hell is everyone?!" Taiki asked.

In answer, the loud blare of a horn sounded from the center of town.

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Amber twiddled her fingers. "She's certainly a lot friendlier."

"Significantly." Chie concurred. She looked around the room to confirm again that they were alone. "How many guards do you think she has?"

They'd only been waiting a couple minutes, but it was long enough for them to start getting fidgety.

Amber shrugged. "Three that we know of. Maybe more?"

"Little weird to leave us alone like this." Chie commented.

"Yeah." Amber agreed.

Chie anxiously tapped the fingers of one hand on her knee. "Taking too long."

"…Yeah." Amber thought a couple seconds. "She said she sold these a long time ago, and for a lot of money, but the new parts of her house aren't done. They look recent. That sounds wrong, right?"

A minute later they could hear the ship's horn in the coliseum.

"We're leaving." Chie declared.

They stood, and at the same time the door opened. A woman in a recognizable skirt made from throwing daggers entered, flanked by Virul and four others.

"Sorry to keep you waiting." Keiko said with a smirk.

Chie and Amber bolted to their feet and drew their daggers. The two then staggered, a look of confusion spreading over their faces. The room seemed to turn sideways and the pair fumbled their steps, nearly toppling over.

"Impressed again?" Virul asked in a mocking tone. Chie shot a glance at the half empty glasses of brandy on the table. "Simple enough delivery system, but it took me weeks to get the effect right. You may experience some unpleasant disorientation and muscle tremors. It triggers when your heart rate elevates. Isn't that fancy?"

Virul turned to the bandits. "You have twenty more seconds until it wears off."

Keiko and her four underlings rushed in, moving to grapple them. One of the attackers was thrown bodily across the room and another had his arm broken in the ensuing struggle, but in the limited space with the lingering effects of the poison it was a one sided fight. Despite their best efforts, Chie and Amber were quickly subdued, bound with their hands tied and dragged to their feet.

Amber tried to shake off the man tying her hands behind her back, to no success. "How did you find us?"

Keiko's smirk turned even more smug. "I'll answer your question with a word of advice. If someone feels the need to include the word 'honest' in their title, they probably aren't."

To punctuate the statement she pulled out a dagger identical to the one lying on the table. One of Zahnri's daggers.

Chie put the pieces together. "Otto."

"There you go." Keiko sent a punch into Chie's solar plexus, her minion holding her upright behind her. "_Now_ we're leaving. Gag them."

The two captives shot fiery glares at Virul, who simply laughed. "Oh, don't look at me like that. You can't bribe what's already bought."

The poisoner pulled down her cravat, exposing a tattoo of an open coffin under her trachea. "Not that I don't appreciate the extra money."

The two were roughly marched through the building to the back door at knifepoint. One of the minions peeked outside and told them it was all clear.

"Play nice and don't do anything stupid." Keiko said harshly, taking hold of Chie and shoving her into motion. "I'm supposed to take you alive, but don't think I'll hesitate to kill you. Now walk."

With the two of them unable to speak, Amber gave her leader a worried, questioning look. Chie nodded, held her head high and walked out the door. Once they were all outside, there was the second sounding of the coliseum's horn.

"Keep moving." The man behind Amber commanded, prodding her in the back with his dagger. "You stop walking and I start hurting y-"

His threat was cut short as a brown blur barreled into him from the side, knocking Amber over and launching him off his feet. Another one of them turned to address the new combatant and found his weapon hand promptly severed at the wrist by a sword glowing a furious red.

Chie didn't need to wait to understand what was happening to take advantage of it, snapping her head back into Keiko's face and wrestling free. Even with the new arrival jumping to their aid, Chie and Amber were still bound and disarmed. Now was not the time to stand and fight.

"Amber, run!" The command hadn't come from Chie, but from Brenda. The NPC had been summoned the moment her escort had taken damage, charging to her defense.

Putting a lone NPC companion in a one on one fight against a human player was a poor bet, let alone against five. Before Keiko could turn to face her, the NPC shoulder checked her away from Chie, then spun and rushed at the two that were closer to Amber, sword gleaming as she attacked.

Three of them moved to engage the drone, but she quickly disengaged to ram into the fourth that was trying to approach Amber, forcing him to face her as well. Chie pulled the cloth from over her mouth and called out to Amber as she grabbed onto her arm, pulling her after her. This distraction would not last long, and the odds were too heavily stacked against them.

As Chie and Amber made their retreat, Brenda the NPC, the computer controlled character who followed her escort on a randomly generated quest to kill a preset number of mobs in revenge for killing her parents that never existed, stood her ground and bellowed. "_I will protect my family!_"

Amber gave one last look behind her as they ran, seeing her companion weaving her sword from one foe to the next. Keiko slipped away from the fight to chase after them, with Brenda too occupied to intercept her.

A bolt of lightning struck the center of town as the area boss spawned. The dim sound of clashing steel and shouting carried from the coliseum as their battle began. With the majority of the town's guards and overseers harvesting the area boss to the cheers of the spectating residents, there was almost nobody else in sight. They were able to spot Devlin and Taiki, already running their way. Seeing she was now outnumbered, Keiko slowed to a stop and changed course, letting them get away from her for the time being.

"Are you okay?" Taiki asked, quickly using his karambit to cut Chie's bindings loose.

Devlin was removing the cloth from Amber's mouth when he noticed the tears streaming from her eyes. "Hey, what's wrong?"

Though nobody else could see it, a portion of her HUD was now occupied with a notification that her companion quest had failed.

"They killed Brenda!" She sobbed.

"Inside!" Chie pointed to the nearest establishment.

The dwindled group ran to its door, finding it locked. They moved on to the next to the same results. On the third, they heard someone inside the turn the lock as they got there, barring their entry.

Chie pointed "Back to Waylon's!"

It wasn't far, and soon they were running up to Waylon's Waylay. Behind the saloon style doors were the inner doors made from corudite slabs. Though it was obviously locked shut, Taiki tried the handles. They barely budged, and he could hear the drop bar rattling inside. He started pounding his fist on it in the hopes someone was inside.

Chie summoned her sword from her inventory when she spotted Keiko and her crew down the road. The girl in the blade skirt pointed their way and led the charge in their direction. Taiki strengthened his battering on the door, and after a moment was rewarded by a feminine voice from inside.

"Who's there?" Waylon's waitress called out.

"Kara? It's Chie!" She answered. "We're under attack. Let us in! Pease!"

They could hear the drop bar lifting. The inner doors opened inwards and the party pushed inside. The waitress, Kara, sealed the doors behind them. Just as the drop bar slid back into position someone slammed bodily into the door on the other side.

Chie tried to catch her breath. "Thank you, Kara."

"Who was that?" She asked. They could hear the people outside moving away. "What's going on?"

"Virul betrayed us." Chie explained in between breaths, both to her and to Taiki and Devlin. "Poisoned us. They were trying to take us alive."

"They've been trying to kill us until now." Taiki pointed out. "What's changed?"

"No idea," She sheathed her sword now that they were safe, "but they almost had us."

"Brenda." Amber said, weeping. "They killed Brenda."

There was a long moment while those words sunk in. For all the trouble they'd been through, this was their first loss. Even if it was just an NPC, she'd still been a part of the team. The grieving girl sat in the nearest chair, curling forward as she cried. Taiki wanted to try and comfort her, but there were more immediate issues to focus on.

A thought occurred to him. "Virul scheduled your meeting during the boss battle. When there would be no guards to interfere."

The area boss Rengoku was built around apparently spawned every thirteen days. The perfect time to strike, while most eyes were focused on the event in the coliseum.

Chie nodded. "She had one of Zahnri's daggers we gave to Otto. I guess he sold us out, too."

Taiki could feel his blood start to boil. "So this entire trip was a setup? We came all this way for a trap?!"

"Looks like." She replied gravely.

"Excuse me." Kara spoke up. "I'm sorry, but what's going on?"

"I," Devlin started. He took a step back, away from the group. "I think I can answer that."

"What?" Chie asked, having regained her composure.

Taiki's eyes narrowed, recalling his friend's panicked reaction after killing the man they'd chased. He noted that Devlin was taking another few steps away from them.

"Listen, I…I didn't find out until a few minutes ago but," He opened his menu. In a few button presses, his bracers disappeared as they were unequipped and returned to his inventory. "If I'd known sooner, I swear I would have told you."

"Devlin," Taiki's said evenly, sensing something unpleasant was about to happen, "what are you talking about?"

"I know who's been after us." Devlin's rolled the left sleeve of his shirt up to his elbow and held up his arm. "I'm sorry, it's not you they want."

There was a sharp intake of air as Chie gave a small gasp in surprise.

On Devlin's left forearm was a tattoo. It was an open coffin, with the lid bearing a cartoonish grinning face, and one skeletal arm exposed inside the casket. The coffin was flat black, with the grin and arm both bone white. Taiki vaguely recalled the man they'd killed in the alley having a similar if not identical tattoo on his hand under his glove.

The tattoo was the mark of none other than Laughing Coffin. "It's me."

* * *

Author's Notes: And now everything starts to change. There was a lot happening at the same time in different places near the end, hopefully the sounding of the horn communicated this well enough. As always, thanks for reading. I hope it was good enough to stick around.


	20. Chapter 18: Judgement Deferred

There was a long silence as Devlin's words seemingly hung in the air, slowly sinking in. Taking the chance to excuse herself, Kara meekly slipped away. A mix of confusion and surprise worked over Chie's face, while Amber had stopped weeping long enough to view their comrade with narrowed eyes. Taiki, for his part, felt much the same as Chie, though more confused than anything else, looking between his guild mates questioningly. It was several moments before anyone spoke.

"I don't understand." Taiki said, the tattoo's meaning lost on him.

"You're with Laughing Coffin?" Chie asked incredulously.

"No." Devlin tugged down his mask. "No, I'm not with them. I almost was, but I'm not. It's…it's complicated, okay."

"I…I don't understand." Taiki repeated slowly in a quiet, puzzled tone, taking longer to process the betrayal.

"Explain." Chie commanded sternly. Consciously or otherwise, her hand drifted towards her weapon. "_Now._"

"My old party, we were offered a chance to join them. New recruits." Devlin rattled out quickly. "I got cold feet and tried to back out. Things got…bloody."

"Why didn't you tell us?!" Chie shouted the obvious question.

"Because I needed your help." Devlin admitted. "Would you have helped me with my icon if you'd known?"

"You had plenty of time after that!" Amber chimed in, bitterness at her friend's death seeping into her voice.

Taiki listened to them all shout, letting this revelation and its implications sink in. While it had always been a possibility that their pursuers weren't hunting him, discovering that they definitely weren't was far from a relief. If anything, he felt once again like he'd lost something. Finding them hadn't just been to keep them all safe, but had been another thread that might have tied him to his past life that had slipped away from him. As guilty as he'd felt about it, believing that the bandit's purpose for hunting them was because they were after him had likewise granted him a sense of purpose and hope in finding himself through them. With that gone, he was once again lost without direction.

"You let me think this was all about me?" He clenched his fists as a heat started building in his chest. "That this was all my fault?!"

"I thought so, too, I swear!" Devlin replied sincerely. "I thought I lost these guys months ago, and there were plenty of reasons to believe they wanted you. It made sense."

Even though he knew it was selfish, Taiki couldn't help but dwell on the fact that these people likely had no idea who he was. None of this was about him. He might as well have been a side character that wandered into someone else's story. It was hard to tell whether he was supposed to be filled with fury or despair. He was still teetering between the two when Chie spoke up, her concerned tone grabbing his attention.

"Where's Mamoru?" She asked, looking around the room to reconfirm he wasn't present.

"I told him to warn you after we spotted someone casing Virul's." Devlin answered, more than a little pleased for the change in subject, even if only for the moment. "You didn't see him?"

"No," Chie waved open her menu, tabbing over to her map, "Brenda caught up to us by herself."

At the mention of the deceased NPC, Amber's eyes started to water anew. Her sobs were held back as short, halted breaths.

Devlin mirrored her actions, checking his own map. Taiki wasn't a recognized member of the party, so he couldn't search his own, instead looking over at Chie's. Their party was large enough that they'd all customized their HUDS to not show the health bars of all the members. It simply took up too much visual space. Still, they knew he wasn't dead, judging by his full health bar in the party tab of their menus.

"Son of a _bitch_!" Devlin blurted. "He ditched us."

On their maps, the small green circle representing their guild mate was rapidly moving away from town. He'd passed by Virul's and had made a beeline for the walkway connecting to the caverns they'd originally arrived through. The real time display of his position placed him at the entrance to the mines.

"Or he's being chased." Chie countered, giving him the benefit of the doubt.

She typed out and sent a short message asking about his status. They waited half a minute. When Mamoru didn't slow on their maps or send any reply, Chie tabbed over to her inventory. A few button presses later and her main armaments of sword and shield appeared on her hip and back, respectively.

Her sword was drawn. "I'm going after him."

Amber hesitantly opened her own inventory as she tried in vain to wipe away the moisture from her face.

"No, you stay here." Chie softly but firmly commanded. "You're in no shape to fight."

The girl looked like she might have been about to contest the issue, but as she paused in the middle of dragging her weapons to their slots. She couldn't stop her hand from shaking. With a sniff and a nod, she relented. Devlin's khopesh was already in hand when the party leader pointed a stiff finger his way.

"You, stay here with Amber."

"What?" He blinked in surprise. "Let me help."

Taiki understood the reasoning. "They're trying to grab live hostages. The second they think they have a shot at you that'll change."

"You can help by staying here and watching Amber." Chie started towards the stairs to the second level. They could hear the distant cheers from the coliseum filter in.

Not waiting to be asked, Taiki had already summoned his shield onto his arm. "I'm coming with you. There's no way I'm letting you run out there alone."

Despite their present circumstances, a brief hint of a smile worked its way onto her face at this. She nodded in reply. A simple wordless response that communicated well enough their camaraderie.

Once at the foot of the stairs, she turned to those being left behind. "Once the coliseum is clear, you two head through the webway portal and warp to a safe zone from there. We'll meet you back at Cedric's location, understood? Taiki and I will bug out once we've got Mamoru outside."

The two of them gave positive replies. Taiki noted that despite the revelation she still somehow trusted him enough to leave him alone with Amber.

She pointed a finger at Devlin, her expression severe. "Once we've had a chance for you to explain yourself I'll decide just how pissed off I am."

Chie and Taiki made their exit from the second storey side door that lead to the balcony and exterior stairway, Amber sealing it shut behind them. With the two of them alone and the coast clear, Chie sheathed her sword. He did so as well; they could move quicker with them stowed away.

"You ready?"

"As I'll ever be." He replied.

"Good. If they're after Devlin, they shouldn't know much about you." Chie led them towards the edge of town, her tone professional as she switched topics. "If they think you're a drone, they won't have any reason to take you alive."

_I hadn't thought of that._ He couldn't count on them pulling punches like they presently were with the others.

"On the other hand, that means they won't be expecting you put up too much of a fight." She pointed out. "I know you don't like fighting humans, but you can't hold back. Surprise them."

He nodded in understanding, and the two of them took off running towards their wayward guild mate. There was a pit forming in his chest in anticipation of what was to come. Every other fight with people he'd been in had been in self-defense. Up until now he'd only been protecting himself from immediate danger. Even though he was rushing to someone else's defense, this was the first time he was running towards a fight instead of away from it.

He pushed the thought aside. They were past the point of turning back. What mattered was catching up to Mamoru and making sure they all made it out of this alive. He couldn't afford to let his feelings stay his hands.

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The lantern bobbed up and down in his off hand, reached out in front of him to light the way as he ran. Shadows danced wildly along the cavern walls as he hastily fled. There was no pretense of stealth, and the echoing sounds of his footfalls reverberated up and down the tunnels. There were a few near stumbles in the dark as he sprinted along the uneven stone floors. He hazarded a glanced over his shoulder to once again check behind him.

Pitch black darkness was all that he could see outside the reach of the reflected light of his lantern. From what he could tell nobody had followed him out of Rengoku. He'd made a clean break.

Mamoru was not without a sense of guilt over abandoning the others to whatever might happen in the red haven, but it had been a mistake coming here in the first place. He could either stick around and see whatever trap they'd sprung, or he could make a run for safety. Mamoru reasoned to himself that he and his wife were already going to leave the party after this mess was sorted out, so he was only bumping up the schedule. It wasn't cowardly to run, it was just the smart move to get out of there.

All he had to do was get out of the mines, warp back to his wife, and the two of them could do what they should have done in the first place and simply walk away. Depending on how things were going in town the bandits might have already gotten what they wanted, anyways, and his problems were over.

_Best not to think like that._ He chided himself.

If he'd hadn't been so occupied with his self-justifications for his solo escape, he might have noticed the conspicuous lack of enemy mobs between him and the exit. There wasn't a single encounter with any monsters during his panicked trip to the surface.

Mamoru stopped a moment both to recheck his map and catch his breath. He panted heavily as he leaned a hand against the wall to steady himself. The short squat man was far from well acquainted with running full bore for very long. Thankfully, the soft glow of his map informed him he was nearly there. Only a couple more turns and he'd be back to the area with the door to the safe room, and not far beyond that, the exit.

Resuming his trek at a fast walk to allow his pounding pulse to quiet and his gasps for air to even out, he closed his menu. He was about to pass the double doors to the safe room when the niggling thought at the back of mind finally bloomed into the realization that it should not have been this easy to get here. The faintest of sounds behind him caused him to reel around, pointing his lantern down the tunnel he'd come through.

There was nothing but darkness. The rugged pitch black stone of the tunnels and the absence of light beyond that of his lantern that filled the mines like ink. Mamoru's eyes landed upon one featureless shape against the tunnel wall about thirty meters away. He held the lantern higher up, leaning forward as if being closer by centimeters would make any difference.

He felt it was a dumb thing to do, but Mamoru couldn't help himself. "Hello?"

The shape seemingly detached from the wall as it moved in reply. Now that it was in motion, Mamoru could make out four legs and dark fur. He almost thought it was one of the wolf-like mobs until he was able to make out more of its features. It was smaller than the wolves, but more solidly built, with a healthier coat of fur and a feline head. There was a glint of light off its bared fangs as it slowly stalked towards him.

The image put forth by the approaching animal was not the sort to inspire Mamoru to stand his ground. Mamoru was smart enough to know the cat didn't belong here, so someone would have had to bring it. Looking behind him again back down the path to safety stood a pair of figures. One was a smaller, lanky young man dressed in rough animal skins, with a pair of large wide knives strapped to his sides. The other was a significantly larger man, easily dwarfing his compatriot. Though not the tallest man he'd ever seen, thanks to having met Taiki, he had a wide build with a generous amount of mass. Most notable about him was the blade whip wrapped around his iron waistband, the matching iron gauntlets, and his pug-ish, almost neanderthal face.

Panicked indecision stayed his feet for a tense moment, broken when the more brutish figure stepped forward. Having no desire to fight two people and their pet, he bolted to the side to seek refuge in the safe room. The door was roughly shouldered open as he barged in. He raised a hand to shield his eyes from the sudden brightness of the brightly lit room. Before his vision could adjust a voice called out to him with a warm greeting.

"Welcome." The voice said. "Please. Do come in."

Mamoru slowly lowered his hand. As his eyes adjusted they came to rest on the sight before him. Sitting on the rim of the fountain was the flayed man he recognized from their previous encounters. He had one leg crossed over the over, hands likewise crossed over his knee as though he were patiently waiting for an appointment. More curious was the girl sitting beside him, idly kicking her feet. She was a small child with an unhealthy pallor to her. Mamoru estimated she couldn't have been older than ten or eleven.

The flayed man casually stood up, making his way over with long strides. The child hopped to her feet and followed behind him. Despite their past dealings, he projected an inviting, peaceful air. Mamoru was forced deeper into the room as the door pushed open, the two men and their cat entering the safe zone.

He gave himself some distance, drawing his katana and taking a defensive stance, eyeing the flayed man on one side to his right, and the others to his left. "Back off!"

The leader of the pack and his smallest charge were now close enough for him to speak in a conversational volume. It was the closest look he'd gotten at him. In the bright light of the safe zone, his armour somehow looked even more grisly. It gave off just enough of an uneven reflection to appear moist, as though his skin was just freshly peeled away. His own weapon appeared to be a longsword, held in a fur sheath on his back.

Shinjin beckoned with a hand, palm up and empty. "Now, there's no need for that. In fact, this will go much easier for you if you just put that down."

Mamoru took a couple more steps to keep his distance from the other two, still effectively blocking the door.

"I've killed none of your people." He declared, trying to stall while seeking a diplomatic solution. "Neither has my wife, Haruki. I've done nothing to you."

The flayed man raised an amused eyebrow but said nothing.

"I won't give you any trouble." Mamoru continued, voice cracking as he sensed he might as well have been trying to persuade a wall. "Let me past, and you'll never see me again."

Shinjin rubbed at his small goatee, uttering a thoughtful _Hmmm,_ as though he were genuinely humouring the idea. He crossed his arms, indirectly answering with an order. "Take him."

Yarl shouted a command to his pet, urging the panther to dart forward. The larger bear of a man grasped the handle of his whip and pulled it free, unwinding the chain from around his waist and striking straight forward in the same motion. The child was about to join them when Shinjin lay a hand on her shoulder, stopping her. Too many blades in a melee would only get in each other's way, and she wasn't skilled enough to be much help.

The cat reached him first, pouncing at his chest with claws outstretched. Mamoru was quick enough to duck to the side, dragging his blade along its ribs. From that moment, his blade never stilled, staying in constant motion. It would slice into the panther as he dodged out of its path, coming around to ward away the biting strikes from Jorg's whip. Yarl hovered nearby, but had yet to make any moves of his own. The boy hadn't even drawn a weapon.

They had him beat in numbers, but Mamoru had one clear advantage over them: they couldn't actually hurt him. In the safe zone, a green player was given all the protections of a town's Inner Area. So long as they stayed in here, they could do no harm to his health. The only thing at risk was his equipment's durability, and his sword was built to last much longer than anything it cut through. The only major difference between the safe room and any town was the lack of guards spawning to drive out the red players currently attacking him.

He was trying to figure out why they would attack him in such a place that was so heavily stacked against them when Jorg's whip wrapped around his right calf. With a hefty jerk, it was nearly pulled out from under him. While the bladed filaments were unable to cut through his flesh or armour, they were well able to grip him. Sasha, the panther, latched onto him from the side, clamping its jaws around his left forearm.

Another yank on the whip threatened to topple him, but Mamoru was a studier man than he let on. The squat, short man widened his stance and tried to shake the panther off of him. When that failed he raised his sword to start hacking away at it. He'd landed two blows on it when Yarl finally joined in the melee. Instead of drawing either of his daggers, he reached for Mamoru's sword arm.

It dawned on Mamoru why they wanted to fight here. For reasons he couldn't parse, they were trying to take him alive. The safe zone kept them from accidentally killing him in the process of subduing him. Mamoru wildly flailed his katana to keep the smaller boy from grabbing onto his arm, taking every chance to hack away at the panther on his other arm. With the animal unable to actually hurt him, having it stay in one place, jaws wrapped around his forearm made it an easier target.

The beast's owner must have realized this, and the boy issued the command to recall his pet. Once free from one it clutches, Mamoru was able to focus on the man with the whip. He couldn't take the time to shake it off or unwind the cord, so he took a more direct alternative. Before Jorg could yank on it again, Mamoru charged him. With the distance between them closing, the whip went slack and trailed along the floor. Jorg let the handle to his whip fall from his hand to the floor and reached for his belt. Mamoru hadn't noticed before, but the man had a second whip wrapped around him. As he stepped into range and struck out with his katana, Jorg gasped the handle of his second whip and partially unwound it, drawing a short length between his hand and his waist and leaving the majority of the whip still coiled around him. The larger man let the blade cut through him as he sought to entangle the arm holding it. Mamoru recognized his intent just in time to withdraw his weapon, flowing into a slash at his face for good measure.

Jorg raised his off hand and the katana glanced off the black of his gauntlet. Mamoru was given pause, unfamiliar with pugilist weapons, long enough for the heavy iron gauntlet holding the whip handle to strike him in the face, continuing around to make another attempt at wrapping the cord around his weapon. Mamoru made a hasty retreat, blade slashing in a sideways figure eight to keep Yarl from trying to close with him again.

"Enough." Shinjin nearly shouted, momentarily freezing his followers as they obeyed and ceased their pursuit, putting themselves once again between Mamoru and the door.

The flayed man reach back over his head to draw his longsword, a straight weapon whose single edge was composed more of downward slanted serrations than blade. "Fat man's got some moves. Colour me surprised."

Shinjin waved away his underlings, making it clear this was to be a fight between the two of them alone.

"You can't kill me here." Mamoru knew that wasn't their intent, but it bore pointing out. "Just let me go and I'll be out of your way."

"There's two ways out of here. With me," Shinjin planted his feet and readied his weapon in a plow mid-guard, pommel near his hip and point held straight out at face height, "or through me."

Mamoru eyed the exit again. Even if he got out, he'd have to make it to the cave mouth before he could teleport. He'd have to get past them, outrun them through the rest of the mine, hope the door at the cavern entrance didn't slow him down, and make it out of the anti-crystal zone. There was also the matter that his crystal was in his inventory. He took a long, deep breath, accepting that the only way he was going to get out of there of his own accord was through a generous application of violence.

He started to raise his katana, thinking of a good line to say in a time like this. He pitched his voice low and threatening. "If it's a fight you're looking for, then-"

"Found it!" Shinjin cut him off, charging him and quickly closing the distance.

The flayed man opened with a simple downwards cut, which Mamoru moved to block. His arms shuddered as his weapon was batted away from the force of the attack. Taking a few steps in surprised retreat, the shorter man put his katana into motion, never pausing as he switched from slashes and cuts from every direction. Shinjin gave him his space, keeping close enough to reach him with a single step, but far enough that none of the motions had any threat of striking him.

The reasoning behind Mamoru's tactic was twofold. If he was on the defensive, the constantly moving blade would keep his opponent guessing. If they rushed in too quickly they would run into one of his attacks, strung one after the other fast enough that any opening between them was minimal. It forced his opponents to address his weapon before striking at his body, which was hard to do when it never stayed in one spot, and any one of its swings could shift from a simple clearing motion to an attack in earnest. For when he was the one on the offensive, the steady chain of blows would overwhelm his opponent, or at the least keep them too busy blocking to counterattack. Once Mamoru moved in, his blade was a relentless barrage, battering away until an opening presented itself. The only times his blade slowed was in the brief moments when their weapons collided before it was redirected back on its course.

If there was one drawback he could think of, it was that the human body, whether real or virtual, was not capable of perpetual motion. In a protracted fight, the ceaseless activity quickly grew tiring. With this and the presence of the safe zone in mind, now was not a time to behave defensively. Refusing to be put on the retreat, Mamoru slowly advanced on Shinjin. The flayed man block four strikes before his katana sliced across his arm. Another five before he nicked his ribs. Another three and he scored a deep cut through his thigh.

With every few cuts, Mamoru stepped forward, not letting up and not slowing. Shinjin, for his part, appeared more studious than anything else, his brow furrowed as though he were reading a particularly difficult part of some text book. They continued on until the flayed man's health edged into the yellow, without him having had the time to deliver a single attack of his own under the hail of blows. With a wide sweeping swing, Shinjin retreated out of range at a backwards jog. Mamoru didn't pursue. As much as he was trying to hide it, his efforts were starting to wear on him, while Shinjin hadn't broken from his casual demeanor.

"You're good." Shinjin said evenly, his voice not betraying a hint of stress. "To be honest you're a lot more fun than I gave you credit for."

The bandit leader gave a short but dramatic bow. "You have my sincerest apologies."

"I can keep this up all day." Mamoru lied. "Or you and your men can step aside."

"That's a nice system you've got going." Shinjin ignored his statements, waving one hand through the air in a facsimile of his sword. "But I can't help but see its flaws. I bet it's great on mobs, but you'll find it won't get you far with humans."

"I've taken a third of your life," Mamoru said, trying not to let his breathlessness belie his need for this break, "and you haven't even touched me. Even if you _could _hurt me here, I've got you beat."

Shinjin looked over his shoulder at the little girl that had been spectating the entire time. "Umiko, pay attention. You can consider this today's lesson."

The child nodded her head, watching the duel more intently. Mamoru couldn't tell what to make of this man. His mostly warm speech and laid back, friendly mannerisms were entirely at odds with his murderous actions. Now he was apparently using their current duel as an educational exercise for a tween.

Shinjin once again closed the distance, opening with an upwards under strike from the right. Mamoru intercepted it, redirecting it straight up and stepping forward to resume his advance. As before, his katana was a constant blur of glinting steel. With still no reason to play it safe, Mamoru went back on the offensive.

Shinjin was pushed back a step, his own blade a flurry as he deflected each strike. "You're fast."

Another step. A shallow cut aimed at his forearms was deflected just in time. "Too fast for your own good."

Another step, another five attacks warded away. He continued, the clattering of their swords punctuating his words. "Never stopping to _think_, never slowing to _plan_."

Another step. A stab that was meant to impale his thigh was sent harmlessly downwards. "Your sword is quicker than your wit."

He stopped retreating, standing his ground. "You've let yourself fall into a pattern."

Since resuming their duel, Mamoru hadn't been able to land a single hit. His next three cuts were blocked with ease as Shinjin moved his sword to block not in reaction, but at the same time as Mamoru, having discerned where he was going to move next.

Shinjin swatted aside the katana as it struck at his hip. "For all your speed,"

As the next attack came around, a high swipe at his face, Shinjin was already raising his blade to meet it before it had begun its arc, letting go off his own weapon with his off hand. As they connected, during the briefest of moments when Mamoru's sword was slowed by the impact, before it could be sped back into its cycle, Shinjin's free hand snapped up, grabbing the katana by the unsharpened back, clamping onto the flat of the blade.

"you're no more complicated than any mob." Shinjin finished, his shocked foe's blade arrested in his grip.

Moving quickly, Shinjin wrenched the weapon downwards, twisting it so that the sharpened edge was facing away from him. No longer needed, he let his own weapon fall from his hand as he brought it up, sending it back down into a heavy palm strike to the flat of blade just above the katana's tsuba, tearing it free of Mamoru's grasp. He tossed it aside, sending it skittering across the floor.

Disarmed of his main weapon, Mamoru reacted quickly, drawing a tanto dagger from his other hip. Shinjin reacted quicker, grabbing onto the arm as it unsheathed the knife and twisted it around. He forced him to turn, moving behind him and placing him into an arm lock.

"A pattern makes you predictable. Predictable makes you dead." Shinjin shot a glance to Jorg, his duel having reached its conclusion. "Bind him."

Ropes were summoned, and despite Mamoru's struggles his arms were tied behind his back. Hearing a soft chime, he left Jorg to take care of their new prisoner, waving open his menu and tabbing into his mailbox. The day was going well, from what he could tell, and the message from Keiko made it even better.

[Chie plus one headed your way.] She'd sent. [Devlin still turtled in town. Should we pursue or stay with him?]

Shinjin had every expectation that Devlin would be able to escape through the webway gate. Bold as Laughing Coffin could be, they didn't want to earn the ire of Rengoku unnecessarily. It was better to do business with the place than anger it. However, losing Devlin was perfectly alright. This time, at least. He'd remained the end objective, they just needed to go about getting him a different way.

[Leave him.] He typed. [Meet us here.]

"Take him outside." Shinjin commanded, dismissing the floating panels. "We've got their boss headed this way."

He met Mamoru's eyes as he was dragged out of the safe room. "Looks like she's coming for this one."

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"We're almost there." Chie said as they ran down the tunnel. "Hold up a second."

Taiki had taken point, lighting the way with a lantern while Chie had kept her map open, navigating. Judging by the azure display, they were past the safe room and almost at the exit. They had made quick time, partly due to the complete lack of system generated enemies hindering them. Still, Mamoru had had a good head start on them, and a lot could happen quickly when fighting for your life.

He furrowed his brow as he came around to stand beside Chie, studying her map. The green dot representing Mamoru had left the confines of the cavern, taking him clear of the anti-crystal zone. However, the icon sat immobile, when it should be gone, warped away.

"He's not moving." He observed, confused.

"I sent him a message, but he's not replying. They already have him." Chie deduced. "This is a trap."

It was bad enough going into a fight when the enemy wasn't actively waiting for you, and there was only one way direction they could approach from. "What do we do now?"

"We keep going." She answered, determined.

"But what about the trap?"

"Mamoru's here because I brought him. I won't let them take him if there's anything I can do about it." Her voice was grim. Knowing their opponents were now trying to take some of them alive somehow made everything much worse. She tabbed to her inventory, and with a few taps her desert gear was equipped, her eyes hidden behind her goggles. She left the poncho in the ether, the bulky garment would only get in the way. "I'm glad Cedric isn't here for this."

The last statement was more to herself then at him, but Taiki was inclined to agree. He liked the boy, but he was not much of a fighter. With nothing further to say, Taiki summoned his own half mask and goggles, making sure they were securely in place. The rest of their trip was taken in dour silence.

They paused one last time at the exit door that would take them to the cave mouth. Chie paused a moment before twisting its handle. "No doubt the others we encountered in town are somewhere behind us. We won't have much time. We grab Mamoru, and we jump out. Anyone gets in our way, remove them. Understand?"

Taiki nodded in affirmation, and she opened the door. They drew their weapons as they entered the cave mouth. It was empty, with neither humans nor the lizard they'd encountered here before present. According to the map, Mamoru was not far outside, hidden from view in the maelstrom of blowing sands. As they closed the door, Taiki took a moment to try and see about blockading it, but there was nothing to brace against or with.

"Be ready for an ambush." Chie shouted over the cacophony of the howling winds.

Weapons ready, the two stepped outside into the raging storm. Taiki staggered, catching his footing as they were instantly sandblasted. Their swords rang as the airborne grit pelted the steel. They walked almost abreast, with Chie a half a step ahead of him, leading the way. After five meters they spotted a pair of vague shapes ahead of them. Closer still and they became more recognizable. Mamoru was lying face down in the sand, tied, with a larger, kneeling figure holding him in place with a knee pressed into his spine. Beside them stood the flayed man. Seeing them as well, Shinjin shouted an order to his underling that was swallowed by the wind before it reached either of their ears and started slowly and confidently walking their way.

The minion atop Mamoru rose, pulling an item from one of his pouches. Jorg held the blue brick to his lips and spoke the words to activate it. The azure crystal glowed brilliantly as it came to life. With a swing of his arm, Jorg threw the corridor crystal into the ground. It shattered like glass, exploding into a flat pane of torn space. A glowing, depthless blue vortex with no arch connecting to somewhere far from here. Grabbing Mamoru by the scruff of his collar, his captor lumbered towards the portal, hauling him along the ground after him.

Chie broke into an uneven sprint, or as close as one could in the ever changing winds. Taiki, with his greater weight granting him a measure of stability, moved with a greater degree of certainty. Before he could pass her by, Chie held her left hand up, signaling to the left, then forward in a round motion. He couldn't reply, but he understood the order. As Chie closed with the flayed man, Taiki moved around the left to chase after Mamoru.

Jorg vanished through the portal. Before Taiki could reach him, Mamoru disappeared as he was pulled along. Pumping his legs with the intention of following through, wherever they'd gone, Taiki made a beeline for the vortex. He was a few meters away when a heavy black mass collided with him. Teeth sank into his left arm as the creature pulled him to the ground. Already at a run, Taiki tumbled into a faceplant, nearly removing his goggles. He was just rising to his hands and knees when he came face to muzzle with the open jaws of a large black panther.

On reflex, Taiki flinched to the side, narrowly avoiding having the jaws clamp around his skull. They instead tore into his shoulder. Despite the weight, he rose to one knee. This was a mistake. As Sasha gripped tighter into the flesh of his shoulder, it raked its claws over his body. The creature didn't seem to care about his sword hacking into its side, and with the sandstorm, Taiki could barely make out its life bar. The obscuring sands made it impossible for him to see how much health it had or how much damage he was doing.

A damage race was an unfavourable option. Bringing his sword around, he stabbed it sideways into the panther's jaw, levering it open as he brought his left hand in to grab its muzzle. With effort, the jaws were forced open. Taiki retreated away from it before it could try and latch on to him again. The massive cat dipped down onto all fours, hissed and pounced at him. It's upwards momentum came to a sudden halt as Taiki's left fist came driving down into its muzzle. For a panther, Sasha was a particularly large cat. At its normal height, it came up to Taiki's solar plexus. Almost forgetting his sword, he followed up with a right hook into its face. His aim was low, and his fist connected with one of the animal's canine teeth, knocking the fang free.

Sasha let loose a pained yelp and leaped away from him. Another figure came into view. A smaller boy dressed in pelts and furs, wielding a pair of large bowie knives. The pet's owner came to her aid, attacking Taiki with a flurry of vengeful cuts from the right. Yarl was shorter than most, and was of a thin, almost gangly build. His lack of height and width were compounded even further against his current opponent, just as his bowie knives, while large for their weapon type, did not measure well against a sword. Yarl was used to letting his cat fight for him, and his sloppy attempts to slash at Taiki showed.

The larger man backed away, using his greater reach and longer weapon to keep out of his while, delivering a stab to his face for good measure. While Yarl was not much of an opponent in his own right, he was able to draw his attention away from his pet. While the tip of the falcata was buried between Yarl's eyes, Sasha leapt back into the fray, clamping its jaws onto Taiki's outstretched forearm. Yarl tried to move in to capitalize on Taiki's vulnerability, but couldn't get a clean target in the chaos of the two flailing bodies. After catching a glancing blow from Taiki's shield to his face and almost stabbing his own cat, he elected to back off and let Sasha carry them through the fight.

Trying to shake the animal free, Taiki punched at it with his shield arm. In their struggle he'd lost all sense of direction, and lost sight of Chie. In the torrential storm, all he could see was his current opponents and the still open portal. He was far too occupied to search for her, and could only hope she was doing better than he was.

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Steel collided with steel in a steady rhythm, alternating between the ringing of swords and the duller tone of a sword meeting a shield. As they'd fought, Chie had slowly been pushed backwards. Her view of Taiki had slowly been obscured as she'd been forced back towards the cave, losing him entirely while he was struggling against the panther. She could only hope he was faring well, too occupied with the flayed man to render any assistance.

Her broadsword was somewhat larger than most would elect to carry in one hand, giving her almost the same range as the flayed man's jagged longsword. While this made them nearly even in reach, this came at the expense of speed, making her slower to strike. Shinjin, on the other hand, had proved surprisingly agile. He would attack from one side, have his sword rebound off her shield, and then quickly attack from the other, moving with a rapidity she could barely keep up with.

She had the advantage of greater stability, granted by her defensive posture and a fighting style that relied heavily on her shield, but every few blows she was again forced to take another step in retreat as Shinjin worked his way around her defenses. Chie could spot the moments he was open, but couldn't move quickly enough to exploit them. If there was one thing she could be thankful for it was that the flayed man seemed content to fight her alone. If anyone else jumped in she knew she'd be overwhelmed. The only other figure in sight was a curiously small shape the size of a child, watching from the sidelines. Judging by its enthusiastic arm motions, it was enjoying its role as spectator.

They'd both landed shallow nicks and cuts to each other as they'd fought, but neither had taken or received any significant damage. Still, Chie could tell she was losing a battle of attrition in a fight with a limited amount of time. It wouldn't be much longer until the rest of the flayed man's party arrived. A bolt of lightning struck nearby, sending a gout of burning glass into the air in an explosive flash that caused Chie to flinch, nearly opening her up to a stab at her throat and making her retreat yet again. They were outnumbered and outflanked, fighting in one of the worse placing in Aincrad to be.

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With his sword arm pinned between the panther jaws, its teeth sinking through his armour and flesh, he didn't have the leverage to force it to let go. Taking another approach, Taiki moved to try and persuade it another way. He pressed his left palm against the side of its head, seeking its eye with his thumb. Once he found it, he plunged the digit in as far as it could. There was a momentary resistance followed by a sickening sensation as he felt its eye burst, and his thumb bottomed out as it sank into the orbit.

The animal screeched and wailed, releasing his arm in the process. Once again free, Taiki chopped at its head with his falcata. Half blind and in severe pain, the cat recoiled, retreating to seek refuge behind its master. Taking his queue, Yarl came in from the sidelines to protect his pet.

Acting too hastily for his own good, Yarl moved to close the distance and strike in one motion. His right leg stepped as far forward as it could, lowering his entire body as he lunged in, stabbing a knife at Taiki's groin in an attempt to slip in under his defenses. His outstretched leg presented an appealing target, the shin vertical and the knee bent at a nearly ninety degree angle.

Taiki swatted the knife away with his shield, raising his right foot and letting the momentum of his block to pivot him on his left. Once his right knee was almost to his chest, he stomped it down, leaning into it with all his weight. His boot connected just behind Yarl's outstretched knee at the end of the thigh. Dressed in naught but furs and pelts, there was not much to absorb the blow. With a harsh _crack_ that Taiki couldn't hear but felt, Yarl's thigh snapped at the knee. What he _was_ able to hear was the boy's sudden cry of surprised anguish as he fell over, his leg now hanging limply to the side from a mess of what only vaguely resembled a joint. Sasha took exception to this. Despite her own wounds from previous attempts, she dutifully came to the defense of her master.

A companion pet could have many uses. Many were used for the mundane utility of a beast of burden. The more attentive varieties could provide a second set of eyes to watch your back. A predator such as Sasha could be used to help track a target or assist in combat. Despite Aincrad's apparent lack of most forms of magic, there were even rarer, more fantastical creatures that could provide healing in a tight spot. For all their differences, what all of these had in common was the simple fact that a companion animal, fighting alone, was a poor match against a human player.

For all her intimidating size, Sasha was no exception.

Taiki swung his sword around in front of him, switching to a reverse grip. He held the top of his fist near his chest, his blade horizontal, pointing straight out. As the panther leapt at him, jaws opened wide and claws outstretched, he advanced to meet it. His falcata stabbed into its open maw at enough of an upwards angle to sink into its palette. With their combined momentum the blade sank halfway, stabbing through the back of its skull. With another push it sank to the hilt, the guard stopping behind its remaining front teeth. Ignoring the clawing talons, Taiki pulled and wrenched the blade, using it like a grisly fishhook to twist the animal off its feet and onto its side.

Halted and toppled but not discouraged, the cat tried to bit onto the wrist of his sword arm. Before the jaws could close, Taiki's off hand grasped behind its bottom teeth. He knelt down to press a knee into its side and keep it from squirming free, restricting it from clawing him in the process. With his right hand holding the sword braced inside its skull, and his left hand clutching its lower jaw, Taiki slowly pried the two farther and farther apart.

The panther's struggles grew more frantic as its jaws opened as far as they could. With a grunt of effort and a jerk of his hands, they opened farther as its lower jaw was pulled free of its socket. Its breath visibly distorted the blowing sands as it emptied its lungs in a pained howl. He held the flailing beast as still he could as the blade through its brain steadily drained its health. After an uncomfortably long period of time, it thankfully ceased its struggles and expired.

His knee dropped to the ground as the animal under it shattered. Taking back to his feet, Taiki searched around him for Chie or anyone else. The only person nearby was the pet's crippled owner, tabbing through his menu in a sitting position. He fast walked over to him just as he'd summoned a full restore healing crystal. Taiki reached down and snatched it from his hand before he could use it.

"Thanks." Taiki said, punching him in the face and flopping him onto his back. His newly gotten crystal was raised to his lips as he activated it. "Heal."

The crystal glowed from within and burst, replenishing his life bar to full. He looked down at his beaten foe. Taiki didn't want to kill anyone if he could avoid it, but he knew if he left him as he was he'd probably summon another crystal and attack him from behind, if he'd had more than one, and he couldn't waste the time finding out. Coming to a decision, Taiki knelt down, reaching for him. A few twists and a pair of loosely hanging, broken arms later and he was assured the boy wouldn't be using his menu for the relevant future. A broken or dislocated bone or joint would heal itself in about fifteen minutes. If they were still here after that long he and Chie had already lost.

He couldn't see or hear her anywhere, but with the blowing sand filling the air and the unending howl of wind she might not have been far. If his glitched menu had functioned like everyone else's he would have been able to find her on his map, but with none of the social options functioning he wasn't even able to add friends or join the party. The only thing near the edge of his sight was the still open vortex of the portal. With nowhere else to go, he started towards it. Provided he didn't stay on the other side too long, wherever that was, he should be able to grab Mamoru and return before it timed out and collapsed, so long as nobody shut it manually.

As if in reply, the wide framed brute from before stepped through, already swinging his whip around himself, ready to lash out. Spotting Taiki, he moved to engage him.

_Shit, I almost forgot about you._ Taiki lamented, at least thankful for Yarl's healing crystal.

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Chie ducked her head to the side, and a thrust that would have punched through her cheekbone instead nicked her ear. Letting the blade drop as he pulled it back Shinjin raked the jagged teeth through the flesh of her shoulder. She was in the middle of taking yet another step back when he pressed the advantage, kicking his gleaming boot out in a system augmented kick. Having already used both her block and guard skills too recently for her to rely on them again, she held her shield up to manually take the blow. She was propelled backwards, nearly stumbling but keeping upright. Suddenly, the winds ceased and the blowing sands were no longer all around her, but as a chaotic wall in front of her.

She hadn't realized it, but Shinjin had managed to push her all the way back into the cave mouth. At some point in their fight her headwrap had been damaged, letting sand fill in the cloth around her face. As much as she disliked how she'd ended up here again, it was an almost welcome respite. A quick glance at the door revealed it was still closed, but there was no telling how much longer she had until the others arrived. This had gone poorly. Chie was loathe to accept that while trying to retrieve Mamoru has been the right thing to do, it had certainly not been the smart thing.

Shinjin strode after her, emerging from the storm into the cave. If there was any consolation to be had it was that he was panting just as heavily as she was. Chie moved deeper into the cave. If they were going to fight inside, they might as be far enough away from the wind whipped sands for them to not be an issue. He came to the same conclusion, entering the cave towards the opposing wall.

"A second, please." Shinjin held up a finger, audible now that they were out of the storm. He pulled his headwraps off. Even in place and undamaged his face was covered in a fine grit "Let's keep this indoors, shall we?"

Chie obliged. At this point her own gear was doing nothing but obscuring her vision. She needed a moment to catch her breath, but knew she couldn't afford to wait long.

"Thanks." He said, appreciatively. Chie could see that the sand that had gathered on his face and bald head had turned to caked mud from his sweat. He pointed a jovial finger her way. "You're a tough one. I can't remember the last time I had a fight this good."

Despite taking more hits than she'd been able to deal, Chie had caught mostly glancing blows, while the couple she'd been able to land herself had been more solid. At present both their healths were in the yellow, with Chie at about half health and Shinjin having lost just over a third.

"Glad I could oblige." Chie replied dryly, starting to gather her second wind.

Shinjin could tell she was about to attack. He raised a hand, palm outstretched. "Hold up. Need a breather."

"Seriously?" She raised an eyebrow.

He took in a long breath through his nose, filling his lungs and slowly letting it back out through his mouth. "Ok. I'm ready when you are."

She couldn't tell if his seemingly genuine friendly behavior was born from insanity or a tactic to throw her off balance. Either way it was something she could use.

"Actually, do you mind?" She asked, sheathing her sword and opening her menu. If he rushed her she'd have plenty of time to draw it. "I don't think I'm properly equipped."

His interest was piqued. Besides, it wasn't like he was the one with a count down. "Be my guest."

She switched to her inventory, scrolling down to search for the desired weapon. Her broadsword worked well on mobs in a single handed grip, and if she needed speed she could always return her shield to her back and use it two handed. This had worked well enough fighting mobs and Shinjin's underlings, but with him she could tell she'd need something quicker while keeping the protection her shield offered. Her broadsword and sheath disappeared from her hip as it was replaced in a flash by another weapon. Grasping its hilt, Chie drew a shorter than average but hardy looking rapier. It had an undecorated but wide crossguard made from wrought iron, and a gleaming orange blade the colour of a brilliant sunrise measuring seventy five centimeters.

Dawndriver was an older weapon, one she'd not used for quite some time. In terms of raw stats it was obsolete compared to her broadsword and Shinjin's Grimsever sword, giving him a clear advantage in simple damage output. Not that he had any way of knowing this by looking at it.

It was at this moment that the door to the mine suddenly opened, announcing the arrival of the girl in the blade skirt and three underlings. Chie remembered there being four minions when they'd last tussled, but no one else followed.

Keiko recognized Chie, an angry fire in her eyes visible even through her clear goggles. In anticipation for a fight in the storm, they were all already wearing appropriate gear. The girl drew a pair of daggers and made ready to rush her.

"Hold it." Shinjin commanded, halting her. "This one's mine."

He jerked a thumb in the direction of the cave's opening. "You lot can go help Yarl with the big one. I expect he'll be needing it."

His other half clearly wanted a chance to get even for their fight at the gorge, but didn't make any argument. With a command of her own, she sprinted out into the storm, vanishing into the sands with her minions following closely behind her.

"Been wanting to fight you for a while now." Shinjin stated hungrily, his amiable facade melting away. "No sense is letting the opportunity go to waste."

Chie wanted to help or at least warn Taiki, but had no way to do so. It was obvious she wasn't going anywhere while the flayed man was still here. She took a fighting stance, readying herself. Shinjin raised an eyebrow in confusion. A decent stance with a shield was, of course, to put your left foot and shield forward. Instead, Chie had done the opposite, placing her right foot and rapier forward, holding the blade in the lower guard of fool, with the point of her blade nearly touching the floor. Her left arm was held back. If it hadn't been currently equipped with a shield, her off hand would have been resting on her hip. It was a fine enough rapier stance, assuming one was not holding a shield, which Chie very much still was.

He raised his longsword into a high right ox guard and slowly advanced on her in short half steps, his uncertainty at her new tactic begetting a measure of caution. Chie made no movements of her own and stood her ground.

"What gimmick is this?" Shinjin wondered aloud.

Once he had just entered the edge of his range, Chie answered by quickly tapping the tip of her sword against the floor. It was a cheap distraction with little effect but it served its purpose. The ringing steel and movement of her sword drew Shinjin's gaze downwards, his own arms flinched as he hesitated, delaying his opening attack in anticipation of some action on her part. That fraction of a second was all she needed.

Her sword flashed forward in an upwards stab at his chest, provoking Shinjin to bring his own weapon down to ward it off. The longsword met nothing but air as she withdrew the feint, as she wasn't close enough for her shorter rapier to reach him even if she'd intended to. Having met no resistance where he'd expected it, Shinjin's block overextended downwards. With his sword presently out of the way Chie closed the distance, putting him in reach for her to stab at his face in earnest. The tip had just begun to pierce the skin under his nose when he rotated his Grimsever back up to force it away. She used the force of his block to swing her rapier around into a middle cut to his right temple. This was blocked, as well as the next strike at his left ribs, as well as the following slash at his right thigh. With the speed and skill he'd displayed earlier, Chie expected as much. However, unlike before, she was setting the pace. Having swapped out her broadsword for the more lightweight rapier, she was able to match his speed. So long as she remained the aggressor, a true opening would eventually present itself.

Shinjin was forced to retreat a step to avoid having her rapier slash into his gut. Soon after he had to again to keep it from impaling his leading kneecap. On the third, Chie saw her opportunity. With him again out of range due to his retreat, she swung her sword in a heavy wrath cut, coming in diagonally from the right. As before, Shinjin moved his blade to block it on reflex, meeting nothing and placing his blade in a high block.

Her wrath cut ended with her rapier down and to her left, the tip almost touching the floor. With a gathering step, she brought herself close enough to perform the next stage of her attack. Using the short edge she swung her blade up and to her right in a clearing motion, following the same path the wrath cut had just performed in reverse. Shinjin's longsword was knocked away far to his left, leaving him entirely open. He was quick enough that he'd likely be able to block a follow-up strike from her rapier by the time she brought it back around to exploit the opening, but that wasn't her intent. Finally taking her left hand off her hip, Chie advanced with a passing step, bringing her left foot forward while thrusting her off hand straight forward.

Contrary to the popular misconception held by many people that don't use them, in capable hands a shield is just as much a weapon as anything else, despite SAO's general lack of offensive system skills to use it as such. One would be hard pressed to argue that a shield was only for defense when its edge was being punched into their gut.

Chie's rapier may have been out dated and obsolete, but her shield was most assuredly not. Her already heavy punch was augmented by the weight and mass of her shield, the point of impact focused into her heater shield's upper edge. The breath was forced from Shinjin's lungs in one ragged cough as he was propelled back, nearly doubling over. The move ended with Chie's arm outstretched, shield parallel to the floor. Switching back to her rapier, Chie reset her stance with her right foot forward and pressed on with the rapier. A few parries and counters later and she was ready again. For all intents and purposes, her rapier was not her main weapon for this fight, just a pointy metal bar she could use to get his more dangerous sword out of way. Her shield arm, held at her hip, was a cannon ready to fire at any given opportunity.

Chie wound her sword around his, catching it in the serrations with enough grip to flick it to the side. Open for another shot she stepped in again and metaphorically fired the cannon, her shield arm driving into him like a piston. Without missing a beat she changed back to her rapier, not letting up for an instant. Seeing another chance, she twitched her left foot a few centimeters forward, causing Shinjin to dodge back out of the way of a shield strike that never came, leaving him vulnerable for her to chase after him with a gathering step and impale her sword through his neck. He retreated even further to pull himself off the blade, swatting it aside in the process. His motion was too harsh and reactionary, and Chie delivered a third strike, aiming higher to impact his face with a left hook.

Shinjin's was head snapped round with the blow as a tooth could be heard clattering off the floor nearby. The hook ended with her shield arm across her body to her right. She swept her arm back again, keeping the shield horizontal to slam the edge into his temple on the return swing.

Stars danced in his eyes as he hastily fled back, swinging his sword in wide arcs to give himself some much needed room. An uneven patch of the stone floor caused him to stumble, nearly losing his footing.

Chie didn't chase him. Overeager advancements would only cause her trouble. Better to wait for him to present an opening that to make any efforts that might create any of her own. Instead she reset her stance. Left foot back with hand on hip, right foot forward with her rapier held straight out at shoulder height in long point.

"No gimmick." She resumed her advance with slow, measured steps. "Just me kicking your ass."

* * *

Author's Notes: After all this setup it was enjoyable to make a chapter that was mostly combat. Hopefully it didn't get too long winded, since the next chapter is likewise going to be mostly fighting.

For the duel between Mamoru and Shinjin's group, I wanted to show a level of skill on both sides, but more importantly the ability to adapt. Also, it might sound odd to grab someone's sword, but if they're stopped or moving slow enough it works well enough. High risk and reward, provided you don't screw up and cut your own fingers off. Reactions can range from the fight turning into a wrestling brawl to more hilariously priceless if they didn't know that was an option.

For the fight with Taiki and Yarl, I wanted to show that he's made some progress, and is now better able to handle himself. Panthers are cool but I had its death planned out since it first appeared.

Lastly, the fight with Chie and Shinjin. Again, adaptability. On the subject of using a shield as a weapon, getting punched with the blunt edge of a mass of steel weighing 2 to 5 kg (about 4-10 lbs) doesn't feel great. Especially when most swords only weigh about a kilogram and a half, and a mace wouldn't really be much heavier than that, just putting the weight more to one end.

I hope Chie hasn't come across as Mary Sue-ish. I kind of see her like one of those pre-upgraded units you get early game in most every Fire Emblem titles that chews through early enemies but doesn't have much more room to grow apart from their role as a mentor. She's tough, but not invincible.

As always, thanks for reading.


	21. Chapter 19: Third Time's the Charm

The thin blades of the steel whip whistled through the air as it swung at him. Taiki raised his shield to protect his face from the incoming attack. The blade whip struck with just enough extra length to reach around the protective barrier and leave a gouge in his cheek anyways. Despite the chaotic winds, the corded weapon was weighted enough for Jorg to wield it with only minor difficulty. Taiki had tried closing in on him, but he'd reeled in enough of his whip to maintain its effectiveness at the closer range, holding the slack in his other hand and trying to entangle his falcata. Taiki's own weapon rebounded harmlessly off of his iron pugilist gloves, much to his confusion and consternation.

He'd been forced to back off before he could be ensnared. Another wide arcing swipe of the whip was ducked under as it passed over his head. Taiki kept at range, trying to think of a way to deal with the uncommon and unusual weapon. He couldn't block it like any other weapon, as the flexile cord would only wrap around his own sword or shield arm. He couldn't grab onto it like a normal whip; he'd tried once only to have the bladed segments slice through his hand, removing his left ring finger in the process. The whip had a far greater reach than he was used to facing, but he couldn't rush in since both of his gauntlets could be used to block. If there was any consolation, it was the fact that the whip did relatively little damage. The weapon had significant difficulty penetrating medium or heavy armour, though apart from the few plates he wore Taiki's garb was rather light.

He wouldn't have time to devise a solution, as Keiko and the others arrived to attack him as well. Her and her followers charged into the fight, or charged as quickly as they could while being buffeted by the ever changing winds. Taiki could recognize Keiko in her distinctive dagger skirt, the one in a black iron skullmask wielding a sabre from the last ambush, as well two others that might have been new to him. One carried a short sword and the other a morningstar style mace and a length of rope in his off hand. As bad as things had just gotten, he was relieved that the flayed man was not present, meaning Chie was probably still alive and fighting.

Keiko struck first, launching a pair of projectiles that sliced end over end through the grit filled air. One was deflected with his shield and the other buried itself into his waist. She slowed, drawing another pair of daggers and allowing Fiori to pass her, slashing with his sabre. He'd blocked two cuts from him when Oscar moved to flank him with his short sword, stabbing in at his right side. The first thrust was warded, but the second found its mark as the man with the mace swung the head of his morningstar into the back of Taiki's left leg. As much as he'd improved and trained, he couldn't protect himself from all sides at once. The only solace this brought was that with all of them moving to surround him, Jorg wasn't able to effectively strike with his whip without it hitting or getting tangled in any of his team mates. The bear of a man reeled it in halfway, moving in to try and engage with the shortened length.

Taiki waved his shield at the mace wielder, missing as he dodged out of the way. He swung his sword at the man with the sabre, but Fiori easily blocked the attempted attack. Keiko ducked low, slashing at his thighs before retreating away from his counter attacks. The storm was hard enough to fight in when he wasn't being swarmed. As things were, they were near hopeless.

As if in answer to his predicament, the howling winds grew quieter. The sands blasting them from all sides calmed and the air grew somewhat clearer. It was at this point Taiki noticed that his enemies had all disengaged, giving him some distance. He also noticed that none of them were looking his way. Peering to his left, Taiki saw the reason for the shift in the winds. Quickly coming their way was a massive, opaque storm wall of greater intensity, like the edge of a hurricane of sand. It moved with surprising speed, and was almost upon them by the time Taiki saw it. If the area before the front hadn't been calmer, they'd likely not seen in until it had already hit. The bandits all dropped to the ground, hunkering down and burying their arms into the sandy ground to hold on.

At the last moment, Taiki sheathed his falcata and rushed at the man with the short sword. Just as the storm wall hit them he grabbed Oscar, hefted him off the ground and tossed him. The storm wall impacted him from behind, instantly knocking him over into a rolling tumble, halted when he punched his fists into the earth. Oscar was a man of fairly average height and build and didn't fare so well. In the storm wall's greater intensity, the bandit was quickly swept away out of sight. Despite his greater weight helping to anchor him in place, Taiki was restricted to hunkering down and waiting for the torrent to pass like everyone else. The only other bandit he could see through the almost impenetrable veil was the man with the mace, likewise braced and staring straight back at him, waiting.

And so they did, the two of them looking into each other's goggles, waiting for the fight to recommence. The winds steadily grew louder and louder. If Aincrad had allowed it, Taiki suspected his ears might have started bleeding. Finally, after what felt like minutes it passed. Instead of the winds lessening back to their normal intensity, they ceased altogether, changing from one extreme to the other in a heartbeat as the air cleared. For the first time since entering the Shitstorm the sun could be seen overhead. Finer granules of sand hung in the air like a thin fog. Taiki's ears popped from the sudden drop in air pressure. Oscar was nowhere in sight.

A wandering eye in the storm, one of many that meandered through the Shitstorm. The other side of the eye rapidly approached, promising a quick return to the unending tempest. It was hard to tell by looking at his facewraps and goggles, but the mace wielder appeared to be peering over Taiki's head, possibly noticing his lack of icon for the first time since the fight began. His puzzled hesitation was a welcome opportunity. Acting quickly, Taiki lurched forward and grabbed onto his facewraps, tearing it and his goggles off. With a heave, he hurled the wad of cloth and gear as far as he could.

The approaching pattering of feet drew his attention to the left to see Keiko sprinting towards him, the other wall of the eye coming much quicker in the distance. Before he could adequately react she launched a pair of daggers into his chest. As she was wont to do she pounced at him, grabbing onto her embedded daggers like handles. Keiko was dwarfed by Taiki in all respects but he staggered from the impact as she threw her entire body into it. She curled in on herself, braced her feet against his gut and kicked off of him, propelling herself into a well-practiced backflip. Taiki struggled to keep upright as she landed with precision on all fours just in time to prepare herself for the return of the storm. The calm respite had only lasted a few seconds. Already off balance, Taiki was thrown off his feet as the torrential sands pelted him. Only his bulk kept him from tumbling uncontrollably along the ground. Eventually the winds died back down from the gale force of the storm wall to the more ever present levels he'd nearly gotten used to.

Taiki drew his sword as Fiori came in with his sabre, only to have a metal whip snap in and wrap itself around its blade. Jorg tugged on the cord, nearly ripping it from Taiki's grasp. With his weapon occupied, the remaining bandits rushed him from all sides, save for the man with the mace who was rendered effectively blind without his headgear.

He slipped his falcata free of the whip but it cracked in again to try and arrest his arm. At the same time Keiko slashed with her knives while Fiori weaved in with his sabre. Taiki tried to retreat, tripping over something behind him. During the brief moments where the air had been clear enough to see within the eye, Yarl had spotted their ongoing fight and had dragged himself as best he could on three ruined limbs to seek their help and keep from being left behind. Taiki's reward for sparing his life was to stumble over him. They piled onto him, subduing him with their combined weight. Jorg latched onto his sword, his hands protected by his gauntlets, and wrestled it free of Taiki's grasp. He expected them to kill him, but instead they worked to try and bind him.

_They're trying to take me alive?_

In the present conditions, they had attributed their inability to see his icon or health bar to the low visibility of the sandstorm. For his part, Taiki could barely make out theirs, and the moment of calm had been brief enough not to notice it. With all of them together, it didn't take long the whip and ropes to bind his arms behind him as they had with Mamoru. Fruitless and potentially unwise as it was, he kept struggling as they all dragged him towards the portal. Once they were about to force him through, Jorg split off, plodding away from them, disappearing from view in the direction of the cavern.

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Chie felt Shinjin's Grimsever blade bite into her as it grazed her ribs. The thrust had been meant to impale her, but her block had shunted it off just enough to leave it dragging across her side. She swatted it away before the teeth could do more damage when he pulled it back. As they'd fought Shinjin had started to adapt to her style, getting in more hits of his own. You could only feint someone so many times before they grew accustomed to it, and he knew to expect her to deal her heavier blows with her shield. This, however, did not mean he had devised a good way to counter it.

Their blades clashed again and again, colliding and winding around each other and filling the cave with echoing reports and grating scrapes. Shinjin tried to take the offensive, raining down a flurry of cuts and slashes. On a particularly heavy under strike, Chie dodged away, letting his blade harmlessly swing and miss, taking it up and to her left. While it was still out of the way she moved in, hefting her shield into a gut punch, pulling her shield back to block his sword as it came back down. Shinjin hastily retreated as he leaned forward and let out a long ragged cough turned dry heave. Chie didn't let up. She knew from the nicks and dings that had worked their way into her sword that her inferior weapon was nearing the end of its durability. It was time to finish this.

While he was still recovering, Chie swung her battered rapier not at him but at his longsword, knocking it aside with such force that her own weapon took on a noticeable bend halfway down the blade. The shield rocketed in, punching the edge at his throat. Shinjin instinctively ducked his chin to his chest to protect it and the blow instead hit him full on the mouth, shattering and shearing away his upper front teeth. Without a moment's delay she withdrew it and struck again, catching him in the face across the bridge of his nose. Shinjin was sent reeling in a staggering series of steps backwards. Chie followed, breaking into a short run. She jumped into her next attack, putting her full force and weight behind it as she let loose a tired but forceful battle cry.

Her shield impacted under his collar bone hard enough for the edge to crack through his armour, penetrating steel and splitting the crushed flesh beneath, burying itself several centimeters into his body. The blow rocked him nearly off his feet, and when Chie jerked her hand back to dislodge her shield he flopped to the floor, gasping for air. She stepped on the flat of his sword, pinning it to the floor. The fight was over.

As much as Chie disliked it, he was too dangerous to leave alive. Even beaten as he was he could still chase after her, whether it be now or later. Even though a healing crystal would do nothing to restore his stamina or affect his fatigue, it would put him back into the fight. Chie was far too tired to deal with him again. Her ruined rapier still had a few good hits left in it. The weapon was brought around, ready to thrust down into his heart and end his existence.

A pleading cry could be heard as her blade began its descent, and Chie lurched as a small mass hit her from the right. A dagger could be felt buried in her side, and she reacted accordingly, shoving away her new attacker. She turned, readying to swing. Her arm twitched as the strike faltered. Standing before her wasn't any opponent she might have expected. Instead, she found herself looking down at a small, fragile waif of a child. The girl was unhealthily thin, with limp black hair hanging around a pale face. The image put forth was of a vulnerable little girl. Umiko had been watching the entire time, staying out of sight and out of mind, only intervening when her newfound handler had needed it.

Chie froze, her brain unable to reconcile the image of the vulnerable child with the still imminent threat. Her paternal instincts and mores conflicted with her previous combat fervor, giving her uncertain pause. She was still processing this when the crack of a whip announced Jorg's arrival, snapping around her neck from behind. With a hefty tug she was yanked off her feet, coming back to her hands and knees just in time for his iron gauntlets to pummel themselves into the back of her skull. Exhausted and blindsided, she was caught completely off guard. Her face impacted the floor as she tried to right herself, only to have Jorg grab her by the hair and lift her up for a series of solid blows across her face. Umiko, eager to be included, stabbed at her thighs with her wakazashi. She tried to put her shield in front of her face to protect herself, but Jorg grabbed onto it with both hands, tearing it from her grasp.

The obstacle out of the way he dealt a final right hook that unhinged her jaw and left some of its contents skittering across the floor. The bear of a brute grappled onto her, pressed her face first into the nearest wall. After an abbreviated struggle her sword arm was caught in an arm lock and forced out of its shoulder socket. The rapier slipped from her now limp grip and was kicked away. He was about to try and grind her face into the wall when Shinjin spoke up.

"Enough! Take her-" Shinjin had to stop to give a ragged wheeze, his words twisted by his mangled mouth. "Take her outside. She comes…with us."

Jorg huffed and nodded, binding the dazed and battered Chie before dragging her out of the cave. The battle over and won, Umiko walked over to Shinjin, who had yet to rise past a sitting position. She held out a hand in an offer to help him up, childishly unaware of how embarrassing that was. He rose without it, leaning against the cave wall. He winced as he tried to breathe normally and put on a strong air, but failed as it turned into a pained exhalation. Parts of at last two broken ribs could be felt stabbing into one of his lungs.

He put on his goggles and desert gear and hobbled out of the cave. Umiko dutifully walked alongside him, happy to have saved the day. As he limped out into the storm Shinjin opened his menu, searching for a much needed item once they were free of the anti-crystal zone. He stopped as he felt Umiko tug on his arm. A glance downward revealed she had already summoned her own healing crystal, holding it up in offering. An unintended insult to mend his injuries.

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Face down in the dirt, Taiki squirmed against the figure kneeling over him. The man with the mace, Carlyle, from what he'd heard the others call him, was pressing his knee into his back. Despite his efforts to hold him down and the ropes tying his hands behind him Taiki was confident that he could get up, though the bindings would prove a challenge. There was also the issue of them having taken his weapons. He was dissuaded mostly by Keiko, standing over him with knives at the ready. Mamoru, sitting nearby apparently didn't warrant the effort of anyone holding him in place. His head was bowed, avoiding Taiki's eyes.

Having been brought through the portal, the two of them found themselves on in a small copse of trees. At least, Taiki assumed they used to be trees. There was no greenery anywhere in sight. The ground was composed of rough, cracked grey shale. The trees themselves were bereft of any leaves and appeared to be made more of stone than wood, as though they'd been fossilized where they stood. Outside the small collection of stone trees the flat landscape stretched out to the horizons, broken by a ridge of mountains to the east bearing the ruins of old castles, and a town to the west. The latter was active judging by the wisps of smoke rising from its towering smokestacks.

The still open portal in the very center of the copse pulsed, its hum intensifying as another pair of figures passed through it. Fiori, the man with the skull mask and sabre exited the gateway, holding Yarl over his shoulder in a fireman's carry. He took a few steps out of the way of the portal and unceremoniously dropped his broken and mangled comrade to the ground. He'd been worth recovering, but with the fighting over using an expensive healing crystal to mend his twisted limbs would only be wasteful, especially when he'd already lost his own.

It wasn't long before the portal pulsed again, admitting Shinjin. The flayed man strode through with an air of authority. Taiki craned his head to look up at him. Despite his efforts to hide it, the flayed man look decidedly flustered once he'd removed his headgear, his lips turned downwards in a sour frown. After him came a child he hadn't seen before: a small girl that was in a rush to pull off her own facewraps, sticking her tongue out and blowing a sandy raspberry to remove the grit that had worked its way through her mask.

Taiki was starting to fear for the worst when Chie staggered through as well, losing her footing and falling to her face, unable to catch herself with her hands tied behind her back. His heart sank at the sight of his battered friend. They hadn't allowed her to put on anything to protect her face or eyes, but had at least reconnected her jaw to keep her from choking on the airborne sand. Lastly, Jorg walked through, having shoved her through the portal before making his own entrance.

"Chie!" Taiki shouted.

"I'm sorry." She replied, out of breath. She blinked and creased her eyes, trying and failing to remove enough sand to see clearly. "None of this went like I'd hoped."

She turned in the general direction of Mamoru. "You alri-"

Her question was cut off as Keiko kicked her in the face, finally getting some measure of payback. "_Quiet!_"

The flayed man looked over the collected group, pointing his finger at each of his underlings as he performed a headcount.

"We're short." Shinjin declared in a dour tone.

"We lost Larson somewhere in town. Guessing Devlin got him" Keiko reported, turning away from Chie. Taiki assumed she was referring to the man they'd spotted at the café. "Franz died when we were attacked outside Virul's."

"Mind telling me what happened there?" Shinjin's prompted, venom in his voice. He gave a glance at Taiki, but said nothing about his presence yet. "Who attacked you?"

Keiko took on an embarrassed tone. "One of them had a quest companion. It…surprised us. We took care of it."

Shinjin straightened himself to his full height, processing her statement. His tone had a measure of disbelief and anger. "The five of you were jumped by a companion?"

Keiko noticeably hesitated. "Yes."

"I left the others to deal with it," she added, eager to not be associated with the failure, "so I could pursue the others."

Carlyle shot her a betrayed look he didn't bother hiding.

Shinjin looked over his remaining present followers with evident disappointment. "With four of you, fully armed, Franz was killed…by an NPC."

Taiki felt the weight on his back shift as Carlyle shrugged. "…It was a very aggressive NPC."

Shinjin let those words hang in the air a moment, incredulous. "And Oscar?"

Keiko gestured towards Taiki. "He got carried away by the storm while we were dealing with this one. He's still alive, but too far away to walk back to the portal. I've PMed him to use own crystal and meet us back at the Casket."

"About that." Shinjin pointed a hand at Taiki. "Why the hell did you bring the drone?"

As bad as things were, Taiki's face fell at his words, reaffirming his irrelevance in all this.

"We couldn't tell in the sandstorm." Keiko answered. "And he insists he's human."

"Really?" Shinjin walked over to him, loose sand falling from his armour with each step. He gestured to Carlyle to raise his prisoner to his knees. He stared down at him, his expression unreadable. "Prove it. Open your menu."

His hands were freed, and Taiki summoned the panel. He was half tempted to try and pull out a weapon, but knew he'd just get himself killed for it.

"Curious. It was easy enough to find the names of everyone else in your party, but you, I don't know." Shinjin's eyes narrowed, "Your name."

"My name," He glared back at him, "is Taiki."

"Taiki." Shinjin slowly parroted back in a low voice, almost a whisper. His head tilted as he continued to stare down at him for an uncomfortably long time, clearly studying him. His sullen anger slowly turned into dawning realization. Finally, Taiki could see something click in his mind. "Wait a minute."

The flayed man knelt down, bringing himself to his level. His next word was said as much to himself as it was to his captive. "Bloodhound."

Taiki's eyes widened at this. Despite his present circumstances he had to ask. "You know me?"

"So it _is_ you." Shinjin took his question as confirmation. He stood back up. "I never forget a face. Never thought I'd see one of _you_ again."

Taiki repeated himself more forcefully. "You know me?"

"No, not personally, but I know well enough _of_ you." Shinjin answered, his mood mellowing out at his discovery. "Funny, I'd thought you were a dead man."

"I'd heard one of you was still alive, but I thought it was the smaller one." He continued. "I guess that explains why you'd be asking Waylon about the Bloodhounds."

Taiki didn't answer. Shinjin misread his expression as betrayal.

"Yes, I spoke to Waylon. He's not the sort to sell secrets, but neither does he keep any." There was a pause as he noted the obvious issue with this line of logic. "Wait, no, that doesn't make any sense. Why would you be asking for the names of your own party? And why would you ask about how they died? Why ask which one is still alive if…_you're_ the last one?"

Taiki remained silent, waiting to hear a particular combination of words.

Shinjin turned to Chie, his anger momentarily forgotten in favour of this new mystery. "Why would the last Bloodhound ask…for the name of the last Bloodhound?"

He noticed Taiki's expectant expression. "You're waiting for me to say something. Tell me, which Bloodhound were you?"

Taiki didn't have an answer.

Shinjin put the pieces together remarkably quickly. "You don't know, do you?"

He remained silent, but his expression answered for him.

"How bizarre." Shinjin turned to Keiko. "Congratulations, you've captured an amnesiac red hunter. You ask him about his icon or health bar?"

"He wouldn't say." She had indeed tried to satisfy her curiosity on that, to no success.

"He probably doesn't know that, either." Shinjin concluded. "An amnesiac, glitched red hunter."

Shinjin cogitated his own words a moment before uttering a simple 'huh'. Apparently he didn't care enough to try and figure anything out beyond this.

"You know my name." Taiki knew it wasn't the best time, but his questioned demanded to be asked. "What is it? Who am I?"

"I know your Bloodhound alias." Shinjin corrected. "But I don't know your username. Besides, that's probably not your real name, anyways. No, with your guild dead I doubt there's anyone left alive in Aincrad who knows you beyond your alias."

Taiki's shoulders sank as those words eroded any hope he had of finding himself. "Which one am I? Which Bloodhound?"

Shinjin smiled. "I'm not going to tell you."

An idea occurred to the flayed man. He snapped his fingers in excitement. His feelings over his previous sound defeat either expertly hidden behind his newfound excitement or genuinely supplanted. "Actually, I'll make you a trade."

"A trade?" He was a prisoner. It wasn't like he had anything he could give that they couldn't already take.

"Yes, a trade. You see, we only really need two of you, alive anyways. You're kind of an extra I wasn't expecting." Shinjin explained in a quickening tone. "The rest of your party put up a good fight, and I'd expect no less of any second wave players, but _you_, you're a red hunter. It's not often I get to see a hunter. Even rarer for someone like me to be able to have such a particularly murderous psychopath at my disposal. With only one of you Bloodhounds left this presents an opportunity I'm not likely to get again."

Taiki couldn't tell where he was going with this.

"I don't need to keep you, but it would be a waste to simply kill you, so I'm willing to let you go. On the condition that you duel me." Shinjin offered. "Whether you win or lose, provided you survive, you can leave. If you win, I'll tell you everything I know about you. Carlyle, let him up and free his arms. Fiori, give him his weapons."

"But this is my loot." Fiori stubbornly replied. A harsh look from his boss stifled any father argument.

Free and rearmed, Taiki stood to his feet. He eyed Shinjin with cautious skepticism. "What's the catch?"

"No catch." Shinjin assured him. "I'm just in the mood for a good fight, enough to be a little generous."

Though he wasn't showing it, Taiki could sense the flayed man was trying his best to hide his true feelings. For reasons he didn't know he was posturing.

For another person this might have been a tempting offer. All he had to do was fight the man and he was able to walk free. He looked over to Chie, then Mamoru; he couldn't leave them like this. "I'm not going anywhere without my friends."

"You can fight me, or we can kill you." Shinjin said more sternly. "I've heard enough about you to know better than to bring you along. Either fight me and go home, or die here."

Taiki made no move. His sword was still in its sheath but his hand rested on the pommel. "I won't leave them."

Determined as he was, Taiki knew it was a hollow statement. He didn't know if he could take the flayed man in a straight duel, but he knew he couldn't take him and the rest all at once. Regardless, with everything Chie had done to help him he couldn't turn his back on her. He wouldn't feel right leaving Mamoru, either.

"I guess you wouldn't know this, but this is very out of character behavior for you. Fine, I'll sweeten the pot." Shinjin waved his sword to gesture at his other two captives. "You beat me, and you can take one with you. A compromise. I still get what I came for, and you can try and save one."

Taiki was mulling this over when Shinjin drew his sword and added, "This is your last chance and my final offer."

Which one he was taking back with him was already decided. "Deal."

"Wonderful." Shinjin opened his menu. "Since I don't know your name, would you kindly send the challenge? First to red should do, so I don't accidently kill you."

"I can't." Taiki summoned and used his own healing crystal in preparation. "Social menus don't work."

"Curiouser and curiouser." The flayed man waved away his own. "I guess we either go until one of us dies or you yield."

A thought occurred to Taiki. "If I kill you, how do I know your followers will hold up your deal?"

"You won't" Shinjin countered confidently. He gestured to his underlings to make room, clearing a rough ring for them.

He checked to make sure his shield was firmly attached to his forearm. "Before we do this, at least tell me your name."

"Did I not say before?" The flayed man smiled. "I am called Shinjin."

At this, Chie's eyes shot wide open in recognition.

Mamoru snapped his head up for the first time since they'd gotten here, panic apparent in his voice. "The Butcher?!"

"In the flesh." Shinjin confirmed, raising his weapon and lunging forward, beginning their duel with a thrust.

Taiki lifted his shield to turn away offending sword, and responded by swinging his own in from the right at his neck. The flayed man pulled back his thrust into a mid-guard of plow, blocking it. They went through a few more short exchanges, both of them trying to get a feel for the other without expending too much effort themselves. Even with all that had transpired and the ordeals they'd gone through this day, it was still only shortly after four in the afternoon. They still had plenty of fuel to burn, but their previous fights still wore on both of them. For Taiki, battling in the sandstorm had proven tiring, as he had been fighting against the environment almost as much as against his opponents. For Shinjin, while he'd recuperated well enough physically from his defeat at Chie's hand, his pride had taken a more grievous wound.

There wasn't so much a need for him to fight Taiki as there was a need to shore up his bruised ego. A way to vent his fury and mend his pride. For a man who reveled in combat, what better way than to best someone with a reputation. Not just to kill him, but to break him. To demonstrate to himself and anyone else that he was the grater foe. A clear demonstration of his strength would also be useful if it got out that he'd lost his duel with Chie and had needed his underlings to intervene.

Taiki blocked a horizontal swing at his right temple, only to have Shinjin wind around his blade to nick him anyways. He managed to deal a glancing blow of his own to Shinjin's forearms only to have his opponent sidestep to his right, out of the range of his shield and deal a solid thrust to his chest. Shinjin's Grimsever sank into him with some difficulty, not quit punching through his back. Taiki lurched forward as the serrated blade was yanked free, the teeth doing more damage tearing their way out than the thrust alone had.

His shield blocked an under strike to his left, and Shinjin used the impact to rebound the blade back around to slap the flat of his sword against his opposing temple, sending stars flying through his vision. Moving in while he was still disoriented, Shinjin switched to a high guard, hands held over his head with blade pointed skyward. He closed in, slamming the pommel of his sword into Taiki's face as he snaked in one foot to press the back of his knee against the back of Taiki's leading knee.

Taiki stumbled back, tripping over the unexpected obstacle of a limb long enough for Shinjin to topple him, leaving him flat on his back. His Grimsever was swung down, not connecting but pointing at his face.

"Get up." The flayed man turned around to walk a few steps away. He looked almost confused. "We're not done."

Taiki still had plenty of health left, having only suffered minor glancing blows and one thrust He pulled himself to his feet and readied himself. The flayed man paced side to side like a predator evaluating his prey. Taiki didn't wait for him to move first, closing the distance and opening with a feinting stab at his face. When Shinjin took the bait it flowed into a low slash that scored a wound on his thigh. He tried to follow up with a downwards cut at his crown, but Shinjin evaded with a sidestep while hacking in with his own weapon. The heavily serrated blade failed to fully pass through him, entering at the side of his neck at an angle and getting lodged near his right shoulder. Shinjin pulled on it, sawing the sword the rest of the way through with enough bite to leave Taiki off balance and the sword with enough momentum to swing round to cut along the same channel again more cleanly.

Taiki quickly retreated out of range of a third slash that never began. Instead, Shinjin frowned as he eyed him critically.

_I don't think I can beat this guy._ Taiki silently admitted to himself.

The flayed man noted his apparent doubt working its way over his face. "The hell's wrong with you?"

He charged, hacking away with a series of strikes chained one after the other, battering away at Taiki. The larger man continued to retreat, trying not to let him overwhelm his defenses. He saw an opportunity to counter, realizing too late the opening was a trap. His own cut was evaded while Shinjin scraped his sword up his arm.

Their blades clashed, the falcata catching in the teeth of Grimsever, momentarily locking them together as they were pressed and twisted against each other. Taiki finally found them in a situation where he had the clear advantage. In a match of pure strength Taiki had yet to meet an equal. He pressed against the bind with all his weight, pressing down on his opponent. The resistance suddenly disappeared as Shinjin let up, twisting bodily to the side while disentangling his weapon from the bind. Taiki stumbled forward, recovering quickly enough to block the second cut to his shoulder but not the first. He retreated again, only stopping when his back pressed against one of the stone trees. The last few strikes had taken their toll, and his health was deep in the yellow.

"I don't get it." Shinjin shouted, frustration seeping into his voice as he approached him. "This isn't like you at all. Where's the viciousness? Where's your brutality? Your bloodlust?"

He feinted a quick step, still out of range. Taiki reflexively raised his shield.

Shinjin stopped advancing, letting his sword dip low. "You've gone soft."

He sounded almost disbelieving. "This may sound rather odd, but you could say I was something of a fan of yours. I'd hoped to cross swords with you one day. I wanted to break you, the giant of Aincrad, the bloodthirsty hunter, the big bad Bloodhound, but whatever happened to you did a better job of it than I ever could."

Grimsever was brought around to hang across him, the tip resting against the ground to his left. "Your move."

Taiki opened one of his pouches to pull out a health potion.

"Are you kidding me?" Shinjin shouted. To use a healing item mid duel was of course poor form, but so was kidnapping and murder and Taiki didn't have much health to spare. "Attack me!"

He downed the potion. He needed more, but he didn't want to invalidate their duel any further. So long as it remained a one on one fight he held some measure of hope. He raised his shield, holding it forward as he slowly crept towards him.

"Are you a Hound or a frightened pup?" Shinjin pounded his off handed fist against his chest. "Attack me!"

Once in range Taiki struck out his swords, and their weapons became a flurry of clashing and grinding steel. Shinjin was far faster, winding his blade around Taiki's shield and sword to deliver shallow nicks and cuts every few times they clashed. Grimsever was brought down in an overstrike, meeting Taiki's raised shield. As it skittered off to the side, Shinjin rotated the blade to transiting into a cut at his leading leg, slicing the blade into his thigh just above his knee.

As before, the serrated weapon didn't make it all the way through, lodging itself into the bone of his thigh. Shinjin ripped the sword upwards, twisting to face away from him to give the tug as much distance as possible. He flowed into a full three sixty turn while Taiki was still mid-stumble and activated a dashing skill at point blank. The flayed man flashed into the short distance between them and slammed into his larger opponent, rebounding when he met his greater mass but delivering enough momentum to knock the wind from his lungs and throw Taiki onto his back. He made no move to follow up or pursue him.

Still on the ground, Taiki hazarded a look to his friends. Mamoru was clearly just short of despairing. Chie was holding steady. She looked more worried for him than she was for herself.

"Up!" Shinjin eagerly paced. "Again!"

Taiki lie on his back, coughing as he tried to breathe again. He was surprised to see that his chest plate had been dented, the metal deformed noticeably from the impact. Not enough to ruin it or render it useless, but enough to shake the man wearing it.

The portal created by the corridor crystal rippled, its colours fluctuating between various shades of blue before collapsing in on itself with a sharp pop of electricity. Taiki had no expectations of anyone coming to help them, but with the way closed the hopelessness of the situation was all the more certain. His potion wore off, edging his health back from the red into the bottom edge of the yellow. There was no denying that his next attempt might be the end of him.

He struggled to pull himself up on his unsteady, weary feet, failing, and ending on one knee when a spike of pain shot up his side. He pressed his hand against his chest experimentally, wincing when two of his upper ribs shifted in ways they weren't supposed to.

_Can't barely breathe._ His chest felt like it was burning with every shallow inhalation.

Chie was able to read his expression clearly.

"We'll be okay." She called out, earning a harsh shout from Mamoru in disagreement.

"Are you already done?" Shinjin mocked.

Taiki had only had one healing crystal, and he'd already used it.

"Are we done?" Shinjin repeated. "I want to hear the words. Do you yield?"

Taiki couldn't bring himself to say it. He'd clearly lost, but once he spoke the words he knew his friends would be gone.

"We're still going then?" The flayed man said gleefully. "Maybe you just need some motivation."

He insulted Taiki further by turning away from him. "Keiko, dear. I recall you've harbored some rather unkind feelings towards Ms. Chie since your last meeting."

"You have no idea." She replied.

"Well, show me-" he gestured to Taiki, "-us. Please, _express_ those feelings. Jorg, hold her still, please."

His underling huffed in acknowledgement and moved around behind her, lifting her to her knees and holding her fast. With a devilish grin, Keiko eagerly complied, laying into her face with unrestrained, savage punches.

"Chie!" Taiki shouted, pressing his hand to his knee as he tried to rise. Grimsever had damaged but not broken his leg when it had lodged itself in the bone. He could feel it wouldn't take much to snap it.

"Yes, very good." Shinjin turned his back on him. "Show my friend what he's fighting for."

Keiko obliged by standing over the still kneeling Chie, grabbing onto her hair and ramming her knee into her face again and again. On the third her nose broke, and on the fifth her cheekbone collapsed. The blows didn't remove a significant enough portion of her health to be an immediate threat to her life, and in the world of Aincrad no injury was permanent, but they weren't meant to do either. Their purpose was to simply hurt her and to provoke Taiki, and they succeeded at both.

The fire in his chest burned away as a greater heat spread through his core. His vision narrowed, tinged red. He was on his feet and running before he knew it. He flashed forward as a furious blur as he activated his own dashing skill. Turning back around to face him, Shinjin didn't have time to dodge. The flayed man planted his feet and raised his sword, the blade glowing blue with an active guard. Taiki collided with him like a freight train meeting a barricade. His sword gleamed red as it followed the skill's preset arc, meeting Shinjin's Grimsever.

The flayed man held his footing, his guard holding him rigid enough to take the brunt of the attack. He was pushed back several meters by Taiki's charge, his feet leaving shallow furrows in the uneven shale. For a fraction of a second the two of them stood stock still, blades crossed, frozen by the physical cooldown of their respective system skill before springing back into motion.

For the first time in their duel Taiki moved faster, swinging his sword to batter away Shinjin's. The flayed man ducked away from the follow-up slash at his neck. Taiki pressed the attack, hammering away at his defenses with inelegant but powerful blows. Despite the extra stability afforded by his two handed weapon, his longsword was repeatedly knocked aside from the force of Taiki's assault, brought back around just fast enough to keep from leaving him wide open.

"This is more like it!" Shinjin said with a grin, angering him further. "This is what I was hoping fo-"

Taiki jabbed his shield hand straight out, punching him flat in the face and abruptly ending his taunt. Shinjin rocked back on his feet from the impact, head snapped back. His sword cut a quick figure eight to cover a momentary retreat. Taiki matched him step for step, not giving him any space, dealing a heavy hack of a cut through his torso, ignoring the slash that he allowed to land to make it possible.

Taiki's mind clouded as his vision tunneled, focusing on only thing. He lost track of who was doing exactly what, letting his hands move on instinct and impulse. He could only hear the clashing of steel and the pounding of his own pulse. After what might have been moments or minutes their blades locked together again.

Before his opponent could dodge away, Taiki grabbed onto the blade of his sword, tearing it out of the way, careless of the two fingers he lost in the process as the teeth bit through his digits. They were too close together to swing his blade, and he didn't think to draw his weapon back to prepare a stab. Instead, Taiki rammed the pommel of his falcata into his crown. On the third blow Shinjin managed to jerk his sword hard enough to free his weapon, removing another finger. While he was taking a step back to ready a counter attack Taiki boot shot up and out in a kick to his gut. The flayed man almost jogged backwards to give himself some distance.

Taiki huffed and panted, his fury burning through the remainder of his stamina. His health was dangerously in the red, and the pain in his chest demanded his attention. He snarled in anger, directed at his opponent as well as his own weakness. His breath caught as something in his chest popped.

"You've no idea how satisfying this is." Shinjin said between pants of his own. "It took some drawing out, but I finally get to fight the real you."

His words penetrated through Taiki's fury like a dagger. The flames fueling him flickered.

"What?" He spat, shocked at his own bestial tone, deeper and rougher than he was accustomed to hearing.

"Was the weakness just an act? If so, bravo." Shinjin clapped his off hand against the grip of his sword in mock applause. "Oh. You're serious."

The heat started to dissipate, his mind clearing as it evaporated.

_This is what I am?_ His snarling expression softened as he turned introspective. _Is this who I am? _

"No!" Shinjin shouted, seeing him winding down. "No no _no_, come on! It was just getting good!"

_Thoughts for later._ He chided himself. _Focus on the now._

"Fine." Shinjin charged. "Then let's finish this."

Once he closed the distance, Grimsever was brought down in an overcut, prompting Taiki to raise his shield to ward it. While the flayed man's weapon was still sliding off the shield, Taiki's falcata was thrust out. The movement was slow, sloppy. He was tired, wounded and shaken. Seeing it coming, Shinjin let go of his sword with his left hand, twisting his torso and leaning away from the incoming stab with unexpected agility. The falcata scraped along his chest plates harmlessly. The threat thwarted, he righted himself, pressing his left arm against his ribs as the sword slipped under his armpit, clamping the weapon between his bicep and his side.

Still one handed, Grimsever dealt a light draw cut over his face, teeth tearing across his brow. Shinjin sidled in closer, loosening his grip against the falcata enough to slip up the blade and Taiki's still outstretched arm until he was pressing the inside of his left elbow against the outside of Taiki's. The flayed man avoided a punch with his shield as he rotated bodily, his shoulder blade pressing into Taiki's sword hand as his left arm kept a grip near his elbow. With a jerking motion and a harsh snap Taiki's elbow snapped in the wrong direction.

Shinjin snaked his arm free, folding it shut to hold his left fist to his pectoral. Moving in even closer, he thrust his elbow into Taiki's chest, exacerbating his already injured ribs. Taiki was painfully gasping for air when the saw of a sword sank into his thigh in the same place as before. It again lodged into the bone, and when it was torn free the leg severed.

Shinjin didn't wait for him to hit the ground before he was walking away. "_Now_ we're done."

Taiki thudded bodily against the ground as he failed to steady himself and fell face first.

The victor, feeling quite pleased with himself, smiled as he summoned another corridor crystal. He whispered the words into it to bring to life, and casually dropped it to his feet where it shattered and burst into a new portal. With a satisfied grin he looked back over his shoulder.

"We should do this again sometime." A step later and he was gone.

Taiki propped himself up on his good elbow, and his eyes locked with Chie's. He called out to her, his voice ragged and weary.

"It'll be alright." She shouted back, her assurance ringing hollow.

With his right arm broken and his right leg gone, he started dragging himself towards them, his sword slipping from his grip as he inched his way across the rough stone ground. The sliver of red in his vision blinked in warning. A good stern kick in the face was all it would take to end him.

One by one they vanished through the portal. First Jorg hefted Mamoru onto his shoulder and carried him through. Keiko and Carlyle moved Chie next, unceremoniously dragging her along. He called out to her again as she disappeared through the gateway.

One lingered. Fiori, the man in the expressionless black skull mask strode over to him. Taiki expected him to kill him, but he passed by as if he wasn't even there, stooping down to pick up his fallen falcata.

"My loot." He stated flatly, departing without another word.

The gateway popped and closed, leaving him alone, lying beaten and broken on the cold stone ground in an unknown place. He owned no other healing crystals to restore his limbs or mend his wounds, and couldn't even message the others to tell them what had happened. After their clean victories before, the absolute defeat was all the more harsh. They had been manipulated and outmaneuvered, and they had lost.

He rose as best he could, resting on one knee and one stump. His chest shook as he failed to stifle a despairing sob. He had lost the fight, and in doing so had lost his sword, the only meaningful possession he had from his previous life, he had lost his friends, and he had lost his mentor.

_No._ He refused to accept this. _So long as they're alive, I can get them back._

His determination did nothing to ease his grief. He opened his menu with his left hand, summoning his teleport crystal. Activating it, he evaporated, taking form in an unfamiliar town. There was nobody else in sight, save for a few NPCs. His map informed him that he was in the town of Caliste, on the fifteenth floor. After looking up the name of the first town on this floor, he dragging himself over to the teleporter arch to take the next leg of his journey to Cedric.

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"I told you, I'm not interested." A woman in forest green full plate insisted, her great helm tucked under her arm.

To put action to her words, she turned away and took another step towards the town teleporter. There was only one arch in town, and she was currently waiting on the party of seven in front of her to finally make up their minds on where they were going so she could leave.

"Just hear me out." The man in a black officer's uniform walked around in front of her again, not quite blocking her path. "I promise it'll be worth your time. The Aincrad Army's expanding. It's the perfect time to join and we could absolutely use talent like yours. You'd have access to some of the best equipment in Aincrad and the strength of the guild backing you."

"Funny, I heard you guys were going broke." She said dryly, silently urging the other group to get a move on.

The officer faltered in his sales pitch but was nonetheless confident enough to step between her and the archway. "We've had some…financial issues, yes, but everyone has these from time to time. I guarantee were as strong as ever."

At long last the party hogging the archway made their decision, activating the portal to warp somewhere that wasn't in her way.

She placed her great helm over her head, making it clear she was done with him. Her patience exhausted and the exit clear, she placed a hand on his shoulder and roughly brushed him aside. "Go bother someone else."

He tried to keep his place, failed and nearly stumbled. She expected him to try again, mentally preparing some particularly unclean words in response when a flash of light from an incoming warp brought both of their attention to her right.

A large figure with one arm bent the wrong way and his right leg missing from the thigh down took form, looking as if he'd just crawled through the portal on the other end of where he'd come from. His unusual arrival was compounded by his lack of health bar and icon.

"The hell?" She muttered aloud.

Having arrived facing away from them, Taiki awkwardly reoriented to turn their way at the sound of her voice. "Please, can I use your menu?"

"What?" She replied in confusion at the strange NPC. Apart from the tutorial they weren't supposed to acknowledge the menu.

"Can I use your menu?" He repeated, pleading. "I need to send a message."

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Taiki's foot tapped anxiously against the cobblestone, his right leg having had time to reform. He was waiting in the town center of Ralstren, on the fiftieth floor, watching the teleporter hub. It was a smaller, out of the way town made from short stone buildings, paved with rough cobblestone. The hub had a generous three archways for how small the settlement was. The only other thing of note about the place is it was where Cedric and Haruki were waiting near their quest NPC.

He'd messaged Devlin to figure out where he and Amber were to find that they were still in Rengoku. No messages were sent to Cedric or Haruki, nor did he report to them physically. He couldn't think of a way to explain in a message that their team leader and her husband had been captured, and that he'd failed to stop it. Simple text failed to capture the weight of the situation, and he couldn't bear the idea of bringing news this back alone. So here he sat, on a bench watching the arches, his guilt slowly eating at him from the inside.

After what felt like an eternity pair of figures took shape nearby, quickly spotting him and making their approach. Devlin jogged up to him while Amber walked more slowly with a forlorn gait. The former's mask was pulled down, hanging around his neck.

"We took a few random jumps before coming here, made sure we weren't followed." Devlin explained, not sure what exactly to say. "You doing alright?"

"Where are they?" Taiki asked, cutting straight to what mattered. "Where have they taken them?"

Devlin broke eye contact, looking down at his feet a moment. "We don't know. Their status has been switched to hidden. They won't show up on our maps. Last we saw they were on the fifteenth floor, but they could be anywhere by now. Sorry. We can at least see they're still alive."

Amber caught up to them, standing beside Devlin but staying silent. Her eyes were red and puffy like she'd been crying.

"You" Devlin shifted his feet, "contact the others yet?"

Taiki shook his head.

Devlin ran his hand through his hair and held it at the back of his head. "Cedric already messaged us; didn't take them long to notice something was going wrong. They know the basics but not all the details."

He pressed his hand against his forearm where his tattoo was hidden under his sleeve. "Wasn't sure how to tell them about this."

_Makes two of us_. Taiki thought.

His red haired friend let out a long breath. "Well, no time like the present. We should go. If they took them as hostages it shouldn't be too long before they start making demands."

That was the only comfort. So long as they had value their enemies wouldn't kill them. The three of them walked without further conversation to the inn where Cedric and Haruki waited. A simple, single storey building with a flat top roof and cheap wooden construction. It was the first of seven room, and the only one occupied. Before they could even reach for the door it opened from inside.

Cedric stood in the doorway, worry creasing his brow, anxiously awaiting an explanation. Haruki stood behind him, a mix of fury and distress. A tense, long silence permeated the area of he grasped for the best words. His mouth worked as they failed to come forth.

* * *

Author's Notes: Can't win them all. Hope the fights are enjoyable. Trying to find a good balance of people being sturdy and still losing pieces, somewhere between people being made of iron or plasticine, but the way I see it, a life or death fight can only really end a few ways. Either something interrupts them, or they don't stop until someone is too dead or mangled to keep going.

For the frequency of breaks so far, I see it as system skills do more pure damage than a standard attack, with a blunt strike having a chance to injure bones, while a manual strike does less damage but is more fluid, since you're not giving control of your movements, and blunt strikes _will_ causes breaks if they are hard enough.

Little bit more about the Bloodhounds and a bunch more fighting. I enjoyed having a battle in a dynamic environment like the Shitstorm, and would like to do stuff like that more often. As always, thanks for reading.


	22. Chapter 20: Machinations

From the moment they walked in the door things had gone sour remarkably quickly. Devlin revealing his tattoo to everyone certainly hadn't helped matters. It was the reason the room was filled with a quartet of shouting voices, each trying to be heard over the others. Cedric was shouting for order, Devlin for understanding, Taiki for peace and Haruki for blood. Only Amber was quiet, sitting off to the side of the room, waiting for them to wind down. Now that she had a chance to sit down and think, the weight of Brenda's death had left her sullen and silent, as though any utterance would let loose another stream of tears.

Haruki was on the complete opposite side of the spectrum, presently shouting the loudest and behaving in the most physically animated fashion. Specifically, she was trying to get her hands back on Devlin. For this reason Taiki was standing behind her, physically holding the stout woman back after he'd had to pull her off of his friend. She'd managed to deeply dent the wall with his skull by the time Taiki had separated them. Thankfully Devlin hadn't tried to defend himself, as they all had legitimate grievance with him and it would only infuriate her more.

Because of his secret their leader and her husband were currently in the possession of murderers. There was no taking that back. All they could do now was figure out how to deal with it. That was what Taiki was hoping for, so long as Haruki would stop trying to free herself and take another run at their unmasked betrayer. He'd at least had the sense to pull the cloth down, leaving it to hang around his neck.

"Haruki, calm down!" He shouted. She wriggled her arms free and he wrapped his own around her torso. "We don't have time for this!"

"You son of a bitch! I'll kill you!" She shrieked at Devlin. Unable to break his hold, she turned a measure of her attention on Taiki. "You knew, didn't you!"

He was about to deny the accusation when she started trying to reach behind herself to gouge at his eyes, clipping Cedric in the head with one of her elbows when he tried to lend a hand. Her thumb was scrabbling for purchase when Taiki decided he'd had enough.

"Fine, then!" Taiki yelled into her ear.

He bent at the knees and loosened his hold until his arms were around her waist. From there he tightened his grip while he sprang back up, lifting the bulky woman off the floor in a simple belly to back suplex. Her feet where still kicking as she impacted the floor hard enough to rattle the window. He wasn't worried about hurting her, or her hurting Devlin for that matter. Within their rented room in the town's safe zone if was pretty much impossible for any of them to directly harm each other, but it was a waste of precious time.

**"**Knock it off!" He bellowed down at her. Taiki looked around at the rest of them. "Everyone just shut up! We're not getting any closer to getting them back if we turn on each other!"

To his surprise he got what he asked for, as his voice easily overpowered theirs. He extended a hand to Haruki, which she brushed aside with a growl, but made no immediate attacks after she was back on her feet. No less angry, she stood beside Cedric and glowered at him.

Devlin ran his hands through his disheveled red hair. "Thanks, big guy."

Taiki reeled around, swinging his fist into his face and sending his surprised friend staggering into the nearest wall.

He pinched the bridge of his nose, uttering a pained hiss. "Yeah, I deserved that."

"Start talking." Taiki demanded. "What the hell is going on?"

"What's to explain? He's one of them!" Haruki was about to make another move, but was stayed for the moment by a glare from Taiki.

"No, I'm not. I swear." Devlin said quickly. "They want me dead."

"You have their mark." Cedric pointed out.

"Okay, yeah, I do, but-" Devlin forced himself to slow down. "I can explain."

Taiki crossed his arms. "Then do it."

The room grew quiet as Devlin tried to think of the best, non-self-incriminating choice of words to use, but found there weren't many to choose from.

"Alright, you remember how I said my old party was killed?" He asked.

"Lured into a trap by spotters and killed by raiders." Cedric replied.

"I wasn't being…_entirely_ honest with you." Devlin took a deep breath. "We weren't the victims, we were the raiders."

His statement did very little to help his case. He quickly continued to expound on this revelation. "We never killed anyone. Strict catch and release. We'd track smaller groups, two or three people tops, wait outside their quests and rob them on their way out. The five of us would rough them up until they surrendered, but we didn't kill any. Worse we'd do is leave them tied up so they wouldn't follow us."

"And letting people live is how you got into Laughing Coffin." Haruki commented snidely. "Everything makes sense now."

"People get upset when you rob them, but if you take stuff they can recoup later and they don't know how to track you, they eventually let it go." Devlin insisted. "You get into a lot more trouble and make much deeper grudges with murder than theft. Less blowback if you get caught, too."

"Good to hear you let your victims go out of the kindness of your heart." She said, voice dripping with sarcasm. "If it wasn't bullshit."

"It was easier to get away with that kind of thing back then." Devlin couldn't help but feel he was only digging himself deeper. "We started this back when the murder guilds were less of a problem, and the red hunting guilds were still catching on."

Cedric was likewise skeptical. "Laughing Coffin isn't known for petty theft."

"Well, that's not why they asked us to join them." Devlin paused for a long moment. "We had a run take a turn for the worse. Tracked a solo player out on the fifteenth floor. Figured someone hanging out on a lower floor like that would be easy pickings. Instead, he decided to fight it out."

He rubbed the back of his head, averting his eyes down and to the right. "Guy nearly kicked all our asses. Our leader, Xavior, didn't want to bug out when it was clear the guy wasn't going to give up. Things got heavy, and he didn't make it out."

"You killed him." Taiki stated.

"You murdered him." Haruki added, more sharply.

"Not me." He said, defensively. "Once it was obvious he wasn't going to give up I backed off."

She sneered. "So you just watched from the sidelines."

"Didn't say I was innocent." Devlin admitted. "I said I didn't kill him."

Before Haruki could derail him he continued.

"Turns out he wasn't just some random solo player. He was a red hunter. Big name one. One of the Hircine's Huntsmen taking a personal holiday. I guess he thought we were after him for that." When it was apparent that nobody was about to try and throttle him again, he took a seat at the room's small dining table. "It also turned out he had good reason to. Laughing Coffin had a contract on him. They were tracking him at the same time we were, though we had no idea they were there at the time. One of their guys contacted us a few days later, told us who we killed and how much trouble it would be if it were to happen to get out we did it. Implied pretty heavily how easy it would be for him to do that."

"Blackmailed into joining?" Taiki asked. Much as he felt betrayed he wanted to believe his friend.

"Not that they needed it." Devlin said with a huff. "My party all pretty much jumped at the opportunity. Laughing Coffin was still young back then. None of us really knew anything about them or what we were getting into. Thought it was just a larger pack of raiders, a chance for bigger runs and more loot. Sense of security in numbers."

"We took their mark, but before we were really let into the fold we had to be tested. They weren't impressed by seeing the huntsman wipe the floor with us, so they had the guy that contacted us and two others follow us out on another run." Devlin moved to pull his mask up, but caught himself, leaving it down and instead drumming his fingers on the table top for a couple seconds. "Things went well at first. We cornered a group of four lower level players in some desert ruins. Had them tied up and on their knees, pockets and inventories turned out and empty. That's when everything went to shit."

"It wasn't a normal raid." Cedric put the pieces together, but let Devlin put it to words.

He nodded in confirmation. "They told us to execute them. Once we did that, we were in. It was…an unexpected turn. An argument broke out, with our recruiters content to give us a little distance as we hashed things over. Xavior wasn't even going to hesitate."

Taiki stood next to the chair opposite Devlin but didn't sit down. "What did you do?"

"I made the case for bowing out. The guys that came with us made it clear that wouldn't be allowed, but it was better to cut and run than go through with it. Xavior eventually persuaded the others into thinking it was worth it. We were already guilty of one murder, joining the Coffin was the only safe bet. In for a penny, in for a pound, and all that. When our minders started getting impatient he dragged me out of sight so we could talk in private. Made it clear that this was going to happen, and that I was either on their side…or the prisoner's." Devlin placed his hands on the table, leaning forward and casting his face in shadow. "Hearing it put that way, I made my decision."

Those words hang in the air for a long, uncomfortable moment.

Devlin's hands twitched on the tabletop. "I drew first. Tried to keep things quiet but it took too long. His wife came to check on us, saw what I was doing and tried to stop me. Started calling for the others. Had to kill her, too, while we were still seperated."

He paused as he recalled the next events. "Things got hectic from there. Zerrin and Feenyx came running. Zerrin, he-I, I took him down, too. Feenyx backed off to bring over the Laughing Coffin guys. They'd already figured something was going wrong so they decided to mop up the prisoners."

Devlin locked eyes with Taiki, his expression sincere. "I couldn't let them do that, so I attacked. Everything went quick, but by the time I could do anything they'd already set to work. Could only save two. Killed one of the minders. The other two and Feenyx ran off after that. I guess seeing their friend and my party die took the fight out of them."

With a huff like a weight was being both lifted and compounded, Devlin roughly sat back in his chair, wood creaking as he slouched. "My icon was still red from the huntsman. It took another hit in the roundup. Yukino had managed to stay green, so it took another tick from her."

"You told me Feenyx was dead." Cedric stated, mentioning a conversation nobody else was familiar with. "'Died alone.' Is he one of the people chasing us?"

"No, that was true." Devlin turned to address him. "Laughing Coffin didn't take my actions sitting down. They sent Feenyx and a party of four others after me. Guess they thought he'd be the best at tracking me."

He started to regain his composure, his confession coming more freely now that he'd started. "They were right. I couldn't shake them so I lead them into the darkest forest I could find. Got them to split up. Starting picking them off one or two at a time. One of them was green, so that was my fourth strike. I killed Feenyx last…he died alone with me."

It was a lot to take in. Taiki had previously heard Devlin reveal the number of people he had killed, but to hear it all listed out was something else altogether. The body count was all the more daunting when you knew more of the context. With how he felt about his fight with Eckhardt, a stranger, he could only imagine how heavy the weight of killing your party might feel. At least, he hoped it was heavy; if Devlin had felt little about it that would distressing in its own right.

"And how long have you been running from this current group?" Taiki asked. "You should have told us about Shinjin the first time we were attacked."

"I'd never met or heard of Shinjin, or any of these people. They said we'd be working for someone named 'Butch'. The only ones I ever had the chance to see were the three that came with us and the ones that came after me later." Devlin insisted. "That was months ago. I thought I was in the clear. When we thought they were after you, I believed it, too."

"That doesn't change the fact that you should have told us." Cedric insisted.

"Easy for you to say." Devlin countered, straightening his posture. "Be honest with me, how do you think that would have gone? I was going to leave in the first place, remember? You think you guys would have invited me to stick around if you'd known? Hell, I'd probably be in a cell right now."

"You must have known you were putting us all in danger." Taiki placed his elbows on the table. "Did you plan on keeping this to yourself forever?"

"_Yes!_" Devlin leaned forward as well. "That was the plan. I actually like running with you. Wasn't about to ruin that when I thought you were the target. If I'd known sooner I would have told you sooner."

"And because of your silence Chie and Mamoru were taken in your place." Cedric declared coldly.

He didn't have any good answers for this. "I'm…I'm sorry about that."

A thought occurred to Taiki. "Why do you still have the tattoo?"

Devlin gave a dejected sigh. "Tattoos have been around for centuries. The technology to _remove_ them, however, is a bit more recent. SAO can be pretty inconsistent on what anachronisms it allows, and this isn't one of them. I'll be stuck with this mark until the game ends or I die."

Taiki had heard all he needed to hear. He stepped away from the table. "The damage is done. We need to figure out where we go from here."

"Isn't it obvious?" Haruki snapped. "We give them what they want."

"If we can, I agree." Cedric glared down at him with unbridled hostility.

"Devlin, step outside." Taiki said sternly. He gestured to himself and the rest of the room. "We need to discuss this."

He hesitated but gave no argument. With an understanding nod he stood up to leave the room.

Cedric motioned for him to wait a moment. "Amber, can you stay with him? Make sure he doesn't go anywhere."

The girl looked over Devlin with newfound anxiety. His shoulders sank as he noticed her apprehension.

"Just let us know if he tries to leave." Cedric clarified.

She found this doable enough, and followed Devlin out of the room. The remaining trio waited for the door to close and the sounds of their footsteps to recede before continuing.

"What a load of bullshit. I say we trade him." Haruki insisted, glaring down at Cedric. "It's him they want, not us."

Taiki squared his shoulders, knowing what he was about to say was going to be unpopular. "We're not trading Devlin. We need another plan."

"_What?!_" Haruki snapped. "Of course you'd take his side."

"He lied to us and put us all at risk." Cedric added. "If we get the chance to do so we should take it."

"So long as we have Devlin, Chie and Mamoru are safe as bargaining chips. Once they think they have a chance of getting him they won't have any reason to keep them alive." Taiki addressed Cedric, appealing to the more levelheaded of the two. "Think about it. Why do they want Devlin? Because he killed some of their people. How many more of them have we killed since they've been hunting us?"

"My hands are clean. So are Mamoru's." She didn't bother mentioning that neither Cedric nor Amber had directly killed any either. "We haven't killed any of them!"

"Do you think they'll know that, or even care if they did?" Taiki found himself raising his voice over hers. "I've killed one. Chie's killed two. Hell, even Brenda killed one. Two of them died chasing Mamoru through Sveltheim. If they only wanted Devlin they could have contacted you during our vault run. They've had every chance to announce themselves and they haven't. If this was only a simple exchange they could have messaged us by now. We are _all_ marked."

Cedric was forced to consider this possibility. "If that's the case, even if we do manage to perform a safe trade, I would expect them to continue attacking us. And since I expect they'll keep attacking us, I can't expect a safe trade."

"So, what do you plan on doing then?" Haruki shouted. "We're not keeping him. He's one of them!"

Cedric gave her an exasperated expression. "Suffice to say that if Laughing Coffin wants him dead, he's no longer with them."

She clenched her fists. "What, you believe his bullshit story?"

Taiki gave a convicted "I do."

Haruki gave them a sidelong sneer in reply. "Come on, Cedric. You're smarter than this."

"I don't know whether or not I believe him, or how much." He said bluntly. "I also don't think it matters. Either way it looks bad. He was with Laughing Coffin, or he was a highway bandit. A thief or a murder, I want nothing to do with either. He says he killed his entire party; that alone tells me I don't want him in mine. Chie and Mamoru are my priority. If it's possible to trade him, it has my vote."

Haruki gave an enthusiastic nod. "We agree on that, at least."

"If we're voting, I vote against it." Taiki said.

It was two solid votes against his, even if they chose to count it. If they asked Amber it could easily turn into three against one. Taiki changed the subject before this could go much further. "For the moment we're stuck waiting for them to contact us. We need to use this time as best we can."

Cedric didn't fail to notice his obvious attempt to steer the conversation, but didn't disagree.

"Chie and Mamoru both recognized Shinjin by name. Called him 'The Butcher'." Taiki recounted. "Does that name mean anything to you?"

Haruki said nothing, but crossed her arms.

When they all looked to him Cedric glanced out the window as he thought a moment. "A generic title. I've heard the name, but I'm not too familiar with it."

"Can we put off any votes until we know who we're dealing with?" Taiki suggested. "We shouldn't rush into this."

Cedric was again inclined to agree. No matter how he felt about things, he couldn't dispute the fact that they needed more information. As bad as Devlin's story was, nobody but Haruki was truly comfortable with the idea of sending him to his death just yet. Taiki knew how highly he regarded Chie, and was thankful Cedric was still able to process things clearly despite the threat she was under.

Cedric faced the window again. The sun was nearly setting. The emerald haired boy walked over to the door and opened it, finding Devlin and Amber waiting at the end of the hall. He waved them back over into the room.

The second in command of the Wayward Pact spoke to the group as a whole. "I'm headed to Mori's for any info on Shinjin she might be able to give us. Do we have any other leads to follow?"

"Otto." Amber replied. "It's how they knew to expect us at Rengoku."

Cedric blinked in surprise. This was news to everyone present. "What?"

"When they tried to capture us at Virul's, one of them mentioned Otto." She explained.

His eyes narrowed. "You're sure? That doesn't sound like him."

"You trust this Otto guy?" Devlin asked.

"Most of us buy all our potions from him." Cedric confirmed. "They don't call him Honest Otto for nothing."

"They had one of the daggers you gave him." Amber added.

The boy said nothing in immediate response, turning away to walk over to nearest chair at the table. He rested his hands on the top of the backrest, leaning forward and letting out a long, despairing sigh.

"God dammit!" He gripped onto the wood and heaved it against the wall. One of the legs cracked but the chair otherwise remained whole. "Anything else? Anyone else got something that can make this worse?"

The room went quiet.

Cedric took a deep breath to try and regain his composure with a limited measure of success. "Okay, Haruki, you and Amber head to Mori's. Get a face to face and get her to tell you whatever she might know about this 'Shinjin' asshole."

Haruki nodded. "I can do that."

"I'll head over to Otto's. See what I can get out of him. He told me he had another alchemist help him with the analysis, so it's possible he was betrayed, as well. Least I can do is get this person's name." Cedric pointed Devlin and Taiki. "You two come with me."

It was an interesting shift, seeing the boy take charge in Chie's absence. He had always been seen as Chie's right hand man, but as far as Taiki had ever seen that had never amounted to much more than being her most ardent supporter. While he was no doubt the least capable combatant out of the lot of them, he stepped into the role well enough, intentionally or not keeping Haruki from making an attempt for it.

"You sure you don't want me to take him?" Haruki eyed Devlin.

"Should we even be splitting up?" Amber added.

"They don't need to attack us. When the time comes they know we'll be coming to them. That in mind, everyone stay in the town safe zones." Cedric replied, answering Amber first before glaring at Devlin. "And I don't want him out of my sight."

"If you want to get information out of Otto, I should be able to help with that." Devlin offered.

Cedric grabbed him by the collar and pushed him against the wall. "If I want your help, I'll ask for it. As it stands, you stick with me and you keep quiet, and if you try _anything_ Shinjin will be the least of your concerns."

It was the closest the effeminate young man had come to looking genuinely intimidating.

"This how you're going to coax Otto?" Devlin placed his hands over Cedric's smaller fists, grasped them, then slowly twisted them until he was forced to release him. "Either let Taiki handle the muscling, or let me help."

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"Welcome to MakiMori's." The infallibly chipper first half of the establishment's namesake said in greeting. She was dressed in a bright pink knee length blouse with a white collar and cufflinks. "Hey Amber, Haruki. Just the two of you?"

Her always present smile faltered as she noticed Amber's mournful demeanor. "Something wrong?"

The tavern was unusually quiet, with only three customers at two tables in opposing corners. By the number plates being cleared by the NPC waitresses, they'd arrived shortly after a much larger group had just left.

It hadn't taken long to get here. One of the benefits to living in Aincrad was that no matter how distant, any city or town was only a couple of warp jumps and slight loading time away. Still, when they walked into the establishment the sun had begun its decent into the horizon.

Haruki didn't wait for Amber to answer her, advancing on Maki to glower down at her. "Your sister, where is she?"

"Um, she's in the office." She answered, looking up at her scowl in confusion at the aggression.

Haruki stepped around her in the direction of the back rooms.

"But she's really busy right no-" She put herself in Haruki's path, only for her to effortlessly brush the lightweight girl aside. "Hey! Really, she's already seeing someone."

All three of the customers looked their way, but none of them made any moves. The only thing to intercept them was one of the wait staff, asking her employer if any help was required.

Haruki jerked a thumb at the proprietor. "Amber, shut them up."

She left her comrade behind to try and deal with Maki as she sought out the other half of the identical pair. Haruki was already in a poor mood, and she had little patience for any obstacles. Since heading out with Amber, she already tried messaging Tracey, but had made the mistake of mentioning Laughing Coffin. Once he'd seen those words he wished her well and went silent. Next had been Quentin, her link to the Inquisitor, but he had only sent two messages. The first was a simple acknowledgement of her plight and a statement that he would look into it, and the other was an apology informing her that was currently unavailable.

Her boots clunked against the wood planked floor, announcing her presence to anyone in earshot. She wanted Mori to know she was coming. They'd sent a few messages on their way here, but the girl hadn't replied to any of them. Finding the info broker's office, she reached for the handle only to have the door rattle against a deadbolt.

"Mori, open up." She resisted the urge to pound on the door.

Haruki glanced over her shoulder to make sure Maki or her staff weren't about to interject, but saw the former typing in her open menu, no doubt messaging her sister. A few seconds after she dismissed the panels Haruki could hear footsteps inside, and the latch twist free.

The door opened without further resistance and Haruki stepped into the room. Inside Mori's cramped office was the person she was here to deal with, dressed in an ash grey set of suit shirt and pants, with a buttoned but untucked vest of a darker shade. In opposite to the drab colours of her suit, she wore a crimson tie, neatly done and tucked under her vest. In addition to her gentlemanly attire, she wore a pair of white silk gloves, and had a folded silk handkerchief in her breast pocket. The entire suit appeared freshly pressed, and was immaculate. Her hair, normally in a bob, was held back in a short ponytail. The only thing out of place was a barely noticeable little smudge of red on the corner of her bottom lip.

The other occupant was the info broker's current guest, a woman of almost equal height to Mori, just shy about a centimeter. She was dressed in an elegant black dress that almost reached the floor, with a slit on the right side that ran up to her mid-thigh. As she moved small flecks of what might have been metal woven into the fabric caught the light and glittered. The garment hugged her curvaceous form tight, and the neck line dipped low, displaying the woman's modest but ample cleavage.

Her hand was on her face, just finishing putting on a thin half mask that covered her from the bottom of her nose up, leaving only her mouth and chin exposed. It was painted white like a porcelain doll. The uncovered lower portion of her face had a coat of makeup to match the mask, with bright red lipstick accentuated against the pale complexion. Her auburn hair hung in thick curls just past her shoulders.

"Hé nǐ shì shuí?" The masked woman spoke in a youthful, velvet voice, her tone sharp and agitated. She turned to Mori. "Wǒmen xūyào qù, chǒng'ér."

"You're interrupting my business." Mori said to Haruki. She held a palm out to the other girl when she started to step forward. "Zhè bù huì xūyào hěn cháng shíjiān. Qù hǎole. Wǒ huì gǎn shànglái."

"There's a masquerade ball up in Mittelwache. Supposed to be some big name players there, even a few from the Blood Oath, maybe even Heathcliff." Mori hastily explained, uncharacteristically giving information unbidden. "Could be a gold mine of data once we figure out who's saying what."

Looking past the two of them, Haruki was able to see Mori's mask. Like the other it was a masquerade mask that covered the upper half of her face, though fashioned to appear as though hewn from fine polished marble in a style reminiscent of a Greek statue, albeit bearing a significantly more masculine visage than the person that would be wearing it. Mori wore no makeup.

The woman in the flattering dress squared her shoulders but stayed put. She tilted the expressionless mask up and down as she sized up Haruki. "Nǐ kěndìng bù xīwàng wǒ liú xiàlái, chǒng'ér? Zhè lǎo niú màosì tā kuàiyào chōngdiàn."

Haruki puffed her chest at the insult, switching to their language. "[You'll watch your tongue or I'll tear it out.]"

Mori's surprise was evident. "You speak Chinese?"

Haruki's mother had in fact been born there.

"Better than you, c_hǒng'ér_." She confirmed, drawing out the last word.

A bit of colour worked its way into Mori's cheeks. "Well…I did not know that…Shit."

She turned to the girl in the doll mask. "[Go. Now. I have to take care of this. I'll try and make this quick.]"

Her companion gave a simple nod in reply, much more careful with her words now that she knew the present company could understand them. The girl summoned a teleport crystal from her inventory, held it aloft, and vanished in a flash of blue voxels as it took her to the town center.

"A business partner of mine." Mori answered the unasked question of who her guest was, wringing her hands.

"Right." Haruki rolled her eyes. "I gathered as much."

The broker ran a hand through her hair, clearly distraught, almost panicked, as though she'd been caught knuckle deep in someone else's cookie jar. "Shit."

"Wait," The larger woman cocked an eyebrow as she realized the significance behind the broker's behavior, "did I happen upon a secret of yours?"

"Please don't tell Maki." Mori stuffed her hands into her pockets to stop her fidgeting. "What's it going to take to keep you quiet, Haruki? What do you want?"

"Ever hear of someone called Shinjin?" Haruki asked, instantly switching gears and making use of her newfound advantage. She paused a moment, continuing when the broker nodded in the affirmative. "Tell me everything you know about him."

"Deal." She replied without hesitation, thrusting her hand out, waiting for Haruki to shake it before continueing. "He's something along the lines of a captain in Laughing Coffin. Dangerous man."

The broker spoke quickly but methodically as she listed off all the information she could recall. "He's gone by a few names and titles. Shinji, Shinjin the Stalwart, Sin-Jin the Flayed, then Shinjin the Butcher. He tried running with the name 'Butch' for a while. Don't know if he's still using that one. He's a bald man that wears armour that looks like he was skinned alive and he uses a two handed longsword. He used to be a mercenary, but story is something drove him mad while he was on a job and he went red."

Haruki waited for her to keep going, but the broker said nothing else. "That's it?"

"What did you expect, his address? A waypoint on your map?" Mori asked roughly, eager to be rid of her unwanted guest. "That's about all I got."

"Can't you do some digging?" The brawny woman had been hoping for something more useful. "Don't you have contacts you can…contact?"

Mori shook her head. "Not happening. Your party's already radioactive, and I know better than to go around asking after Laughing Coffin. That's a quick way to get some attention I'd very much like to avoid."

Haruki's leverage had apparently already reached the limit of its value. "They have my husband!"

This gave the broker pause. "Listen, I'm sorry to hear that. Really, I am, but I can't help you."

"We can pay you this time!" Haruki didn't have the money with her, but she was sure they still had some of the funds from Midas' sword.

"Doesn't matter." Mori refused. "I'm not about to put myself and potentially everyone close to me at risk for you. I hope you can understand."

"Oh, I understand." Haruki glared down at her. "And I won't be forgetting this."

It was probably not a good idea to make an enemy of an information broker as well established as Mori. Though not exactly rich she had more wealth than she showed, and her network of contacts would make it relatively easy for her to keep tabs on her. If she were so inclined, Mori could potentially be a legitimately dangerous person.

"There is one more thing." Mori glanced down and to the side as though she were checking the time in her HUD. "It might be nothing. Rumours more than anything, but word is that before he turned red Shinjin was close friends with the Chronicler. If it's true, she's probably your best bet."

Haruki almost didn't believe her, and had to stop herself from saying so. While the Chronicler knew more people than anyone else in Aincrad, it wasn't really in any social kind of way. Likewise, while almost everyone knew of the Chronicler, nobody could really say they _knew_ her. The idea of the mercenary turned murderer being a former friend of the mysterious girl was an unexpected connection.

Mori held her hands palm up. "That's all I've got."

Haruki gave a shallow nod. A lead was better than nothing. "It'll do."

"Great, well, I need to get going." The broker smoothed out her suit and picked up her masquerade mask. She eyed the door. "We have a deal, remember. I answered as best I could, so you hold up your end."

Haruki pondered a moment. If Mori had been able to contain her reaction, she would have thought nothing of what she'd seen. As far as secrets go, Haruki found it mundane. Trivial, even, but the value of a secret is determined by the one wanting to keep it, and Mori's panicked demeanor betrayed its potential worth. Any leverage over an information broker, no matter how minor could be a useful thing indeed. "You should tell your business partner to go easy on the lipstick. You're still wearing some."

Mori scrunched her face in confusion as she processed the statement. Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment as her meaning struck her. She cursed under her breath as she took out her handkerchief to dab away the telltale mark. With that noncommittal answer, Haruki left the flustered broker to retrieve her comrade and be on their way.

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"I'm sorry, what?" Otto asked, "What do you mean they mentioned me?"

Cedric stood in front of the counter in Honest Otto's Alchemy, opposite its owner. They were presently the only two people in the shop. The boy had spent the last quarter hour recounting their disastrous trip to Rengoku. He'd been able to bring him up to speed without interruption from any new customers.

It had gotten dark enough outside for the street lamps to flicker on. While there was still plenty of foot traffic outside, it was directed mostly at the gambling houses that Otto's shop was nestled betwixt. Raucous music blared from both establishments as though they were in competition with each other. Judging by the occasional rattling of glass coming from the shelves along the wall, the casino to the left was the clear victor.

"I mean exactly that." Cedric couldn't help but wonder how the man put up with this racket. "Who did you tell about us going to Rengoku?"

Otto narrowed his eyes at the accusation. "Just what are you implying?"

"They were waiting for us." Cedric had to speak up to be easily heard over the mixing tunes. "Answer the question, Otto."

"I didn't tell nobody!" He held up his hand at shoulder height, palm forward in a scout's salute. "Honest. You should know me better than to suggest such a thing. Now seriously, how do you mean, 'they mentioned me'? Kindly elaborate."

Cedric placed his hands on the countertop and leaned in. "When they ambushed my friends they had one of the daggers I gave you, and they outright said they got it from you."

Otto raised an eyebrow. "Well, that doesn't make any sense. Why the hell would they do that?"

Cedric tried his hardest to loom over him, but as he was both shorter and smaller than Otto the effect was entirely lost on him. "Exactly my point."

Otto suddenly slammed a fist into the countertop, startling the smaller boy. "Dammit! They must have gotten it from Kashim!"

Cedric reflexively asked the obvious question. "Kashim?"

Otto growled. "He's the guy _I_ gave the dagger to."

The store owner grabbed the nearest object in reach, a pint sized health potion, and threw it against the nearest wall. "That son of a bitch! He using me as his fall guy!"

The bell over the door jingled just as the glass container impacted the wall, shattering and spilling its bright red contents. The customer that was about to enter stopped in the doorway, looking over the scene.

"I'll come back later." She said, turning around and leaving.

Otto gave a gravelly sigh. "Let's talk about this somewhere private, shall we?"

His undisguised anger was convincing enough for Cedric to buy in to. In truth, he'd been hoping that Otto had been betrayed. While he wouldn't consider them friends, the man had always been honest enough with him. Otto had earned his namesake, and a part of him wanted it to hold true.

Cedric followed him through the door behind the counter into the back rooms. There was not much behind the storefront. Otto's home and workshop were elsewhere. The shop was just where he sold his product. The two of them walked down a short, tight hallway past a pair of narrow doors. The one on the left was ajar, revealing a storeroom full of extra stock. At the end was a door into the office. Inside was a diminutive desk like one would expect to find in a primary school, facing the door, covered in neat stacks of paper full of scrawled notes and figures. Behind it sat a much older, balding NPC. The NPC squinted his eyes as he peered through his glasses, tabulating sums with an abacus.

The office was even smaller than Mori's, and was almost entirely barren. Apart from the tiny desk and chair the drone presently occupied, there was room for nothing else, not even a chair for a guest. There were no windows, only flat, undecorated walls made from oak planks. A single kerosene lamp mounted on the wall to the left of the door poorly illuminated the office. Had Otto's employee been human, Cedric would have felt sorry or angry over its working conditions.

The geriatric drone ticked one more marker on the abacus and shakily tilted his head up to regard them. "Yes?"

"Percy, there's a spill up front." Otto said to his bookkeeper, pointing his thumb back the way they came. "Clean it and close up the shop."

The NPC grabbed his cane that was leaning against the desk and stood, leaning heavily onto it. "Right away, sir."

Percy had to brush past them in the narrow hallway, jabbing his cane into Cedric's foot in the process. The already hunched old man bowed as deep as he could in the confines of the walkway and gave an apology before heading up front as directed. With the office now clear, Otto went in and sat on the edge of the desk, waving his hand to invite Cedric in after him.

Cedric paused, unsure of where exactly he was support to go. With nowhere to sit he stood in the front right corner opposite Otto. The room was more like a walk-in closet than an office.

"A thought occurred to me." Otto stated, back to business. "Why _would_ they finger me?"

Cedric pressed his back against the wall, trying to keep from standing too close to Otto in the claustrophobic alcove. . "Like you said, as a scapegoat."

"Think about it, though." Otto shifted on the desk, crinkling the papers underneath him. "What's the point? If I was one of them it'd be pretty stupid to tell anyone about me, and since I can promise you I'm not I gotta wonder why bother blaming me at all. You already know you're dealing with Laughing Coffin. A scapegoat is pointless when they could have easily told you nothing."

Cedric pondered this for a moment, feeling like a fool when he came to the conclusion. "You're just a red herring."

Their enemy liked to stay ahead of them. Zahnri had tried warning Chie about bandits in the area, perhaps to influence where they went and to try and insert himself into their group. They'd been ambushed after their vault run by a group that was lying in wait, and lastly they'd been more directly lured into a trap in Rengoku.

"Worse," Cedric put the pieces together, "you're bait."

Otto nodded. "Any of you guys make it out of their trap, you come straight to me and they get their eyes right back on you. You notice anyone following you here?"

He stood up, continuing before Cedric could put any thought into it. "Doesn't matter. They wanted you to come, they already know you're here."

Otto tipped over the lightweight desk, letting the papers and abacus slid to the floor. Cedric stepped out of the way as best he could, unsure what he was doing. Otto scuffed his foot on the floor, kicking the items that had previously at on the desk into a corner before folding its legs and leaning it against a wall.

"Gotta throw the trail. Need to act quickly." Otto said, speaking more rapidly as he got into the moment. He pressed his hand into a spot on the wall, and a previously indistinguishable little square button sank into it. A mechanical series of clanks could be heard beneath the floor, and a section under where the desk had been fell open in a hidden trap door. "It's a tunnel that'll take us to the Royale Flush next door. Opens up behind the bar."

Cedric couldn't help but ask, "Why do you have a secret tunnel to a casino?"

"It's also a booze cellar. Good stuff, but you gotta keep it cool." Otto answered without pause. Taking a knee too look inside, Cedric could see the tunnel was about as tall as he was, and indeed contained wine racks full of bottles. "I sell it to them for good coin, but I'd rather be known for making great health potions than decent booze."

He wiped his hands off on his shirt, sidling past his guest towards the door. "I'll be right back, then we can head out."

The music from one casino died down, followed by the other not long after. Their musical duel settled they both switched to softer music more appropriate for the nightly hours.

"Wait, why are you coming?" Cedric asked, still catching up with all that was suddenly happening. "And where are we going?"

"We're gonna go 'talk' to Kashim. Asshole thinks he can sell _me _out? Use me like _bait_?!" Otto enthusiastically shook his head, anger seeping back into his tone, making his already gruff voice even rougher. "No. Gonna get him to tell you what he knows about whatever's going on, then I'm gonna beat the piss out of 'im."

The flustered store owner opened the office door and stepped out. "Wait here a second. Just need to make sure everything's closed up."

Cedric nodded in the affirmative, letting Otto go. If everything was as it appeared things were going better than expected. After all that had happened, he would of course not be going anywhere with Otto alone, no matter how much he might trust him. A quick message to his guild mates could bring them up to speed easily enough, and they could all see this Kashim person together. Cedric waved his hand to open his menu, checking Chie and Mamoru's thankfully still full health bars.

Once the door to his office was securely closed, Otto tugged on the hem of his shirt and headed towards the storefront. Opening the door revealed only one customer waiting inside, facing away from him. It was a taller than average figure standing six feet tall, in a long black cloak with tattered edges. Their hood was pulled up, obscuring their head. The figure slowly dragged a finger across a line of potions on one of the shelves near the front window as though reading their labels.

Otto stepped fully inside, likewise closing the door to the back hallway behind him. His customer had yet to acknowledge him.

"I said to close the shop." Otto quietly chided his NPC.

"He was already here when I arrived." Percy replied apologetically.

"Excuse me," Otto called to the figure, "can I help you? Sorry, but I'm about to close for the night."

"You've helped plenty." He turned to face him. His entire face was hidden behind a black skull mask. The man rolled up his left sleeve, baring his forearm and the distinctive tattoo upon his wrist. "The Coffin thanks you."

Otto's eyes shot wide at the sight of the mark of Laughing Coffin. "What the _shit_?!"

He quickly made his way around the counter, advancing on the newcomer. Despite being hidden by his cloak and mask, the man faltered as though he had made some mistake. He braced himself when Otto reached him, but the store owner passed by him, reaching for the door as though to show him out.

Otto turned the deadbolt, locking it shut. The other man's posture subtly shifted.

"You idiot!" He hissed harshly, trying to lower his voice. He grabbed his guest's sleeve and pulled it back down. "Don't flash that around in here! Get away from the windows!"

Otto dragged him by the arm further into the store. He turned to his NPC. "Percy, go do something in back. I don't care what."

"I shall tidy the storeroom." He declared, obeying without further comment and exiting through the back door. Otto peered past him to make sure his office was still shut. Once the two of them were alone he turned back to his guest, glaring up into his mask.

"You're not Lucas." Otto declared. "What's going on?"

The figure dipped his head in a shallow nod. "There's been a change of plans."

"Do those plans involve some jackass namedropping me?" Otto jabbed a finger into the man's chest. "You'd better hope they didn't mention this to anyone else yet."

"Don't worry about it." The man gently but sternly moved the hand away. "It's taken care of."

Otto placed his hands on his hips, reigning himself in a bit. "Ok. Ok…good."

He tugged on one of his sideburns anxiously. "I gotta ask, how'd it go? Something go wrong? I figured you'd try and grab one of the soft targets like Cedric."

"He wasn't there." The man answered, his tone as unreadable as his mask. "We took Mamoru and Chie, instead."

"Really?" Otto whistled in compliment. "Tell your boss to keep an eye on her. She's a tough one, but if you're looking for a trade you just snatched their VIP."

His guest turned his head to look outside for a moment. "You know her?"

"Yeah, a little." Otto reflexively looked as well to see someone walking by across the street. "Insufferably self-righteous wannabe hero, but she's no weakling. Seriously, keep an eye on her."

"Cedric. Is he here?" The man asked, back to the point.

Otto glanced over his shoulder at the back door. "Yeah. He's in my office."

"Not sure how much they trust me, but maybe I can lead them somewhere." He didn't bother trying to hide his renewed frustration now that he was reminded of it. "I made up some contact we can go check with, but I don't think they'll follow me out of the safe zones."

"Good work." The man said, his flat tone rendering the compliment hollow. "You catch on quickly."

"Holy shit, that was _actually_ the plan!?" Otto nearly shouted, throwing his hands up. "Why the hell didn't anyone tell me?! I'm pullin' stuff outta my ass, here!"

He tried to stare the man down, but the expressionless skull mask gave no ground. If the man had any reaction to his outburst at all, it wasn't any he could see. It took a few seconds for Otto to gather he was waiting him out.

He growled, relenting and retreating a step. "I need to go before Cedric gets suspicious. Where should I take them? At least tell me _that_ was properly prepared."

"Here is fine." The masked man moved over to the front door. "I've heard enough."

Before Otto could protest, he unlocked the bolt and opened it. "How about you, big guy?"

What might have been the largest drone Otto had ever seen stood outside his shop. He nearly eclipsed the doorway, the light from a street lamp casting him in a seven foot tall silhouette. Secure as he was in the safe zone, the barely contained fury evident on its face told Otto well enough that he didn't want it anywhere near him.

Taiki slowly stepped into the shop, dipping his head to fit through the threshold, his glare boring down into Otto. Once his friend was through, Devlin shut the door and turned the deadbolt, locking it once more. With no further need for it, he removed his skull mask.

"What's goin' on?" Otto nervously asked, the atmosphere taking a tangibly hostile turn. "You and your drone need to go. Now."

Devlin ignored him, heading around behind the counter. He spoke without looking to his larger companion as he entered the hallway. "I'll get Cedric. Don't let him go anywhere."

Without a word, Taiki advanced on Otto with steady, heavy steps. Once he was in arm's reach, the newly dwarfed shop owner pointed a finger at the approaching giant. "Hey! Back off!"

Taiki snapped a hand up, grabbing onto the extended digit. With another step and a quick twist the finger was bent backwards out of its socket. Otto issued a high pitched yelp in surprise as Taiki let go long enough to wrap his hand in his much larger grip. With his other hand he splayed his fingers like claws, digging them into the soft flesh of his throat and squeezing his windpipe. His prey securely in hand, Taiki walked him farther into the shop until Otto's back pressed into the edge of the counter. He forced Otto down until the back of his head was pressed against the oak countertop.

Confusion and panic played over his face as Otto tried struggled to breathe through the compressed airway. He pawed at him with his free hand, but his shorter reach put Taiki's body out of range. Otto knew in the back of his brain that he was in no real danger, at least not immediately, but being forcibly strangled was not something most would consider a pleasurable experience. The primal need for air left him flailing his arm at his attacker.

Taiki watched him squirm, tightening his grasp by a fraction and pinching off his windpipe. If he really wanted to, he could probably crush it entirely. The idea was tempting. It was Otto's fault that their enemy knew where to find them. It was by his doing that they had walked straight into a trap. It was because of his actions that Chie and Mamoru were in the clutches of Laughing Coffin. Otto was no better than Midas. Taiki curled his lip at the thought, baring his teeth. No, he was worse. Everyone had known what Midas was, he had never pretended to be your friend. Otto hid behind a mask of honesty while stabbing them in the back.

Otto finally grasped onto one of his arms, pressing his thumb into his wrist or the inside of his elbow, seeking some weak point. His kicking feet caught momentary purchase, wriggling him farther up on the counter but doing nothing to release him. Taiki pulled him off, letting go of his hand to grab him bodily and slam him into the nearest wall. He wrapped both hands around his throat, crossing his thumbs over each other to both cut off his blood and air. Otto was pressed him against the wall, sliding up as he feet were raised off the floor.

Taiki knew he couldn't kill him just by strangling him, not in the safe zone. He also knew that, in Aincrad, he couldn't even choke him out. His vision would darken, his head would swim, heart would race and his lungs would burn, but he wouldn't die or pass out. This was just fine, Taiki wanted him conscious. It meant that he could just hold him there, watching him teeter on the edge while he pathetically struggled against his iron grip.

Unable to reach anything but Taiki's arms, Otto pawed at his hands and wrists, trying in vain to escape. His kicking feet padding against the wall, occasionally catching on Taiki's belt. A line of foamed spittle worked its way from the corner of his mouth as he struggled for air in between harsh, choked off utterances.

Taiki had heard his entire conversation with Devlin. To betray them, and to behave as though he thought so lightly of it. It was infuriating. Theoretically, he could hold him here for as long as his arms could bear the weight. Locking eyes with Otto, he felt he could do this for hours. He leaned in, increasing the pressure on his thumbs. He was vaguely aware someone was calling his name. Something small tapped against the side of his head. Taiki let go with his right hand, leaning in more heavily to keep Otto pinned, dangling against the wall with his left and half turned to face where the object had come from.

Taiki blinked, his eyes refocusing on Devlin and Cedric. The two of them were at the other end of the counter, well out of arm's reach. Confused, Taiki looked to the floor, finding a copper coin by his foot.

"Whoa there, ease up." Devlin said slowly, as though he were trying to talk him down. "He can't talk if he can't breathe."

He stared down at the coin, processing. A bubbling gurgle brought his attention back to Otto. The man's bulging, bloodshot eyes stared back. Horrified, he let go, recoiling several steps away from him. Otto dropped to the floor, falling to his knees before flopping onto his stomach. The shopkeeper raised himself onto an elbow, taking long, pained breaths. His back arched as he hacked and sputtered through the abused airway, drool pooling on the floor below him. In the corner of his vision Taiki saw Cedric take a half step away from him as he backed up.

Shame extinguished his anger as the reason for the copper coin became clear. One of them had thrown it to grab his attention while they stayed at a safe distance.

Wiping his hand over his mouth, Otto tried to right himself, standing on unsteady feet. He staggered into the counter, leaning onto it for support as he caught his breath. The gruff man tried to say something, but the words morphed into another ragged coughing fit. A pair of deep red indentations matching Taiki's shaking hands marred his throat. Shinjin's words to him during their fight played in his mind.

He heard Devlin say something to him, breaking him out of his introspection. Taiki briefly searched around to find he had placed himself to his left between Otto and the front door, while Cedric barred the way to the back rooms. "Huh?"

"I said," Devlin repeated himself more slowly, "are you okay?"

Taiki realized he'd been staring at his hands. He dropped them to his sides, clenching them to still them. "I-I'm fine."

"Good." His friend replied, not sounding entirely convinced, but focusing on that task at hand. "You mind grabbing him, then?"

Putting his concerns over himself as far out of his mind as he could, Taiki moved to comply. Having regained his faculties, Otto lurched away from him, backing himself into the far left corner or the room.

"You keep that thing away from me!" He shouted hoarsely. "Now someone tell me what the hell is going on!"

As Taiki approached, the smaller man tried to run past him towards the front door. He twisted to track him as he slipped by, snapping his left hand out to catch him by the scruff of his collar. Planting his feet, he twisted back, jerking Otto along hard enough for his running feet to briefly leave the ground. With the man once again in his grasp, Taiki grappled onto him in a choke hold from behind. It wasn't a particularly tight hold, partly due to him trying to keep himself in check. It was sloppy and untrained enough that someone of sufficient skill or strength could break free. Otto possessed neither of these.

Cedric stepped in, taking charge of the situation. "What's going on is you're going to tell us everything you know about Laughing Coffin."

Otto squirmed in Taiki's grip, but his arms might as well have been stone. Giving up, he dipped his head and sighed. "If you know anything at all about them, you'll understand why I can't do that."

Movement from outside caught Devlin's eye. A pedestrian passed by, thankfully not noticing the events taking place. Devlin quickly went to the front to draw the curtains closed over the front picture windows.

"We're not going anywhere until you talk." Cedric declared, glaring daggers.

Otto glared right back. "Then we're going to be here a while."

Cedric clenched his fists. If they were outside the safe zones he would be tempted to punch him, but he knew striking him here was pointless. He couldn't hurt him, not really, and as far as he knew doing so repeatedly would only risk drawing the attention of the town guard or even change his icon.

Otto nervously laughed. "You really didn't think this through, did you? I tell you anything and I'm a dead man."

"Don't worry, you'll be safe in prison." Cedric countered. "All we have to do is find your tattoo and we can let everyone know just what sort of man 'Honest Otto' really is."

Another laugh. "You think I'd be dumb enough to take the mark when I work in the city? I'm clean. It'll be my word, like you said, 'Honest Otto', against yours. You've got nothing."

"We need a more direct approach." Devlin chimed in, returning to the group. "And we need to be specific. Tell us about Shinjin. Is he the one you work for? Where can we find him?"

Otto wasn't budging. "Piss off."

"Last chance," Devlin said darkly, "answer my questions."

Otto didn't reply, at least not verbally. Instead he elected to spit on Devlin's boots.

He watched the glob slid down the side of his boot, absent mindedly running his fingers over the cloth mask hanging around his neck. "Have it your way. Taiki, your grips looks a little loose. How about you tighten it a bit until he's feeling more conversational."

It took Taiki a second to register that he was being spoken to. "Huh?"

Devlin pantomimed the sleeper hold that Taiki currently held Otto in. "I can't really do much to him while we're in the safe zone. I'm going to need you to motivate him for me."

Cedric did not approve. "You're advocating we torture him? No, we're better than that."

"The things he knows might help us save Chie." Devlin turned to their current leader. "And he won't talk unless we make him."

Cedric squared off against him. "I won't allow it."

Devlin turned as well. "I'm not asking you to participate. I'm asking you to step aside."

Taiki nervously looked between his guild mates, one to the other, not sure which one he wanted to win this debate. Pragmatically, he had to side with Devlin, but his gut told him otherwise.

He leaned in, speaking low, his tone dead serious. "He sold you out. He delivered us to Laughing Coffin. You want to save Chie. So do I, so let me help."

It was clear he was playing to Cedric's loyalties in an effort to override his moral compunctions. He took a deep breath, letting his shoulders sag as he let it out, Devlin's words producing the desired outcome.

"How about you check his office, see if there are any useful records or any sort of paper trail." Devlin suggested. "Evidence."

The idea was acceptable. Cedric locked eyes with their volunteer interrogator. "No killing."

"I promise." He agreed with a nod. "No bloodshed."

Cedric was still hesitant, but the possibility of getting vital information regarding his captive mentor outweighed his scruples. Turning his back on the lot of them, he left the room, closing the door behind him.

Taiki was not so comfortable with this. "Devl-"

"I'm sorry, big guy," He cut him off, knowing where this was going, "but my options are limited while we're in the safe zone. We can't just drag him out of a place like the Starting City without someone getting in the way, and I can't hurt him as he is. You're the one with the magic touch. I need your help on this."

The idea of him taking part in this filled him with disgust. Part of him still couldn't believe this was happening at all. Still, as far as he was concerned he'd already let her down once when he'd failed to defeat Shinjin. Holding a man still so he could increase their chances of getting her and Mamoru back was something he was just going to have to try and stomach. He made no reply beyond setting his jaw and nodding.

Devlin gave a shallow nod in reply, crossing his arms and returning his attention to Otto. "Final final chance."

Otto said nothing, simply glaring back. He'd given up on trying to squirm free and was resigned to whatever was to come.

"Your choice." Devlin raised his eyes to Taiki's. "Begin."

Taiki flexed his arms in a false start. He scrunched his eyes shut and he tried to put it out of his mind, opening them again to see Devlin staring up at him expectantly. Taking a deep, calming breath, Taiki tightened the sleeper hold. As unpracticed as he was, his left arm pressed more into his windpipe than not, cutting off more air than blood. He kept tightening, placing his right hand over his left fist to apply more pressure, stopping when he started to fear he might break him.

Devlin simply stared into Otto's defiant eyes, and after about half a minute was rewarded by a choked off cough, followed by another, and another. Each grew more desperate. His face began to turn red as he started squirming with renewed urgency. Taiki was about to let up, but was stopped when Devlin held up a hand. It was a full two minutes before he lowered, signaling for Taiki to loosen up. It felt much longer.

Otto spoke first in between gasps. "Not…telling you…shit."

Devlin glanced up again. "Again."

With that simple command Taiki flexed his arms, strangling Otto mid-gasp. With no time to adequately catch his breath, it took less time for him to start struggling, feebly prying at his arms and kicking his feet. Taiki watched five minutes ticket by in his HUD before Devlin signaled for him to ease up again.

"Tell me where to find Shinjin!" Devlin shouted.

Otto twisted his head back and forth trying to raise it out of Taiki's grasp if only by a little. He had some measure of difficulty speaking with the arm still pressing against his throat. "Fffuggyou."

That was all he had to say, glaring back at him.

"Where is Shinjin?" Devlin asked again, sitting on the edge of the counter. "We can do this all night if you want."

Repeatedly being choked out to the edge of consciousness as his lungs screamed for air was wearing him down well enough, but weighed on the man holding him all the more. Taiki found the situation, holding the man from behind in a choking arm lock while he struggled for his life far too reminiscent of his encounter with Eckhardt. An event he'd rather keep behind him, not recreate. He caught sight of Devlin studying his expression, no doubt noticing his unbridled distaste.

"Ok…" Devlin said more to himself as he came to some conclusion. "Ok, new plan. We need to go about this another way."

He opened his menu with a wave of his hand. "Otto. Where. Is. Shinjin?"

"I don't _work_ for Shinjin!" Otto shouted, finally answering a direct question. "I work for Poh."

Devlin blanched for a second, recognizing the name before quickly regaining his composure. "I don't want Poh, I want Shinjin. Where is he?"

"I don't know." Otto squirmed again, twisting his head higher before repeating himself more forcefully. "I don't know!"

"You're lying!" Devlin accused sharply.

Otto averted his eyes, saying nothing. An answer in its own way. Taiki's grip softened as he felt they might be finally getting somewhere.

The man was on the verge of breaking, but was clinging to the edge out of fear of the greater threat his masters posed. However, it wasn't hard to tell that Taiki was teetering as well. If they continued as they were his larger friend would likely quit before they could crack Otto adequately. An idea occurred to him. One that would hopefully galvanize Taiki properly, though it was not without some measure of risk.

"Ok..." Devlin muttered, more to himself as he opened his menu with a wave of his hand. "Ok. We need to go about this another way. Otto, you can tell us about Shinjin or you can tell us about Poh."

They weren't after Poh, but any lead was better than none.

"I can't!" Otto hung his head, or would have if his chin didn't come to rest on Taiki's arm. "I say anything and I'm a dead man. It'll be a race to see which one can kill me first."

Devlin waited a long moment, his extended pointer finger hanging over his menu before he gave it one last prod, prompting Otto to subtly shift. "Yeah, well, they'll have to share the silver medal."

"What?" Otto squirmed with more urgency. "What was that?"

Devlin ignored the question, looking up at Taiki. "See if you can open his menu."

He wasn't aware of how he was supposed to even begin trying to accommodate such a request. Otto's menu was Otto's. Taiki couldn't open it.

"I can't risk laying a finger on him like this. Take his hand," Devlin grabbed his right hand with his left, waving one with the other in demonstration, "and open his menu."

He gave a shallow nod in understanding and wrapped Otto's right hand in his much larger grip. The man balled his hand into a fist, but his index finger still hung free of its socket. Despite his resistance, Taiki grasped the dangling digit and waved the appendage in the needed motion. When nothing happened he tried again, and the floating blue panel obediently appeared.

"Hm." Devlin uttered to himself, "wasn't entirely sure that would work. Ok, let's get this started."

Before Taiki could ask what he was planning, Devlin cradled his hands around his, using it to guide Otto's against the latter's will to open his inbox tab. It was empty, save for one waiting message. A challenge to a duel, total elimination. Otto's eyes shot wide and his struggles renewed. Before anyone could say anything Devlin forced him to press the accept button. Another second later and his finger hit the confirmation button.

The air in the room seemed to shift as everyone comprehended exactly what was happening. Taiki gave his friend a questioning, imploring look that went unanswered, save for the translucent flat panel that came into existence above them, the top edge clipping into the ceiling. The number sixty flashed inside it, then started counting down the seconds.

"What are you doing?" Taiki asked forcefully.

Devlin's eyes didn't leave Otto's as he drew his straight sword. "Loosening his tongue."

Taiki almost couldn't believe what he was seeing, what he was taking part in. He wanted to let go, but he found himself frozen in place, like a deer staring down a lantern.

Devlin pressed the tip of his sword against Otto's stomach, leaning in to place his off hand on the man's shoulder. "Either you spill your guts, or I will."

"You can't kill me!" Otto's voice cracked as he wriggled his body, trying and failing to put any distance between him and Devlin's blade. "What're gonna do, ask my corpse?"

"If you're dead set on not talking then we don't have any reason to leave you alive." Devlin explained coldly. "We don't have the time to try and accuse you in whatever courts the army uses, and you said it yourself, we don't have anything to convince them with. But we can't very well leave a Laughing Coffin agent operating in the Starting City."

He gave a dramatic sigh. "I'm afraid it has to be this way. Either you die right here, or you tell me something worth letting you go."

Long seconds ticked by, with only Devlin certain on how far he was willing to take this. To kill someone in self-defense was, to some, only natural. To kill a dangerous enemy could be justifiable. To kill a bound prisoner, it didn't sit right.

"Devlin," Taiki had to speak up, "you said no bloodshed."

"This is Aincrad." He replied without lifting his eyes from Otto's. "Nobody bleeds."

The tip of the sword was repositioned from Otto's gut to his chest, ready to punch through his right lung. "Tell me what I want to know!"

Otto started hyperventilating when the clock reached fifteen seconds, scrunching his eyes shut and grimacing as he tried to turn away. Taking the opportunity, Devlin quickly looked up to Taiki and twitched his right eye shut in a rapid, subtle wink. Unfortunately for the both of them, Taiki had no idea what that was supposed to mean.

The dull ringing of a non-existent gong filled the shop as the countdown reached zero. In that moment, three things happened all at once. As their 'duel' began, Devlin began to thrust his straight sword into Otto's chest. Having decided he'd watched this long enough, Taiki reacted by snapping his left hand out, wrapping it tightly around the blade and halting it. Lastly, the back door behind the counter opened, and someone who was clearly not Cedric walked in.

"I have tidied the store room." Declared Percy in a tired, oblivious voice.

Taiki and Devlin snapped to at the sudden intrusion, distracting them just long enough for Otto to make his desperate escape. With Taiki's left hand grasping he blade of Devlin's sword, the arm was no longer wrapped around his throat. Seizing the opportunity while all eyes were briefly on his employee, he twisted bodily out of Taiki's grasp and leapt away into a dive roll that ended in more of a flop but served its purpose of distancing himself from them well enough.

"Shit, grab him!" Devlin shouted, giving chase.

The front door was still locked and opened inward. Two factors that would slow any escape. Instead, he bolted for the back of the store, running between Taiki and the wall to put the larger man between him and the more agile Devlin. He ducked under Taiki's reaching arms as his previous captor tried to get him back in hand. Otto was just running behind the counter when Devlin vaulted over it, colliding bodily with him and driving the both of them against the shelves on the rear wall. The two of them and a number of potions fell to the floor. Drawn by the commotion, Cedric ran into the room just as Devlin was trying to wrestle Otto into a pin in the cramped confines behind the store counter.

Taiki came around the side in time to see Otto flat on his back with Devlin astride him, trying to grapple him in a mess of spilled health potions and broken shards of glass, much of the latter disintegrating as they derezzed. Otto grabbed a larger, fallen potion and smashed it across Devlin's face, further drenching the two of them and blinding Devlin long enough for him to try and shove him off. Seeing Taiki coming around the counter to assist his friend, and having seen Cedric enter the room as well, Otto didn't bother putting forth any attempts to fight back. Instead, he twisted and tried to scoot out from under Devlin, scrabbling his arm out for the shelves behind the counter. He found what he was looking for while Taiki was still making his approach and Devlin was still blinking away the red beverage that was obscuring his vision.

In the business Otto partook in, with the friends he associated with, a quick escape could be invaluable. If he needed to leave his office discreetly, he could always take the tunnel to the neighboring casino which, unbeknownst to many, he owned, and simply exit through the back door. For times when a more expedient escape was needed, he always kept the means within reach. Otto grabbed onto the teleport crystal he kept on the shelf under the store counter, clutched it to his chest, and shouted the word to activate it.

"Teleport!" And with a flash of bright blue light, he vanished out from under Devlin into scattering shards. A harsh buzzing tone announced the duel's end as one of the combatants left the area.

It was suddenly quiet, a long silent moment where nobody spoke. Cedric looked over what he'd just walked in to, while Devlin balled his fists on the floor where their escapee had just been.

Percy gave a longsuffering but otherwise oblivious sigh at the mess Devlin was still resting on his knees in. "I'll fetch the mop and bucket."

The drone brushed past Cedric on his way out of the room, closing the door behind him as he left. A potion that had been knocked over but had remained on the shelf in the initial impact slowly rolled off, shattering as it hit the floor.

"_Shit!_" Devlin bellowed, slamming his fist into the flor and causing Taiki to flinch at the sudden outburst. Wiping his face, he stood to his feet.

"The hell happened?" Cedric asked, accusingly. The boy turned to Taiki when his intended target made no reply.

"He-we wa-were" Taiki stammered out, catching a pointed glance from Devlin, made more so by the slivers of glass that were embedded in his face. "Things got a little out of hand."

"Son of a bitch warped out." Devlin tried to wipe away more of the debris from his chest, but his hands only came away wet with red. He wiped his hands off on his shirt, but the front of the garment was more then not soaked through. With an agitated huff he wiped them off again on his still dry trousers. "That jump would have taken him to the nearest teleport hub. We're not going to catch him. We need to leave before he has a chance to spin this against us."

"Why were you dueling him?" Cedric asked, suspicious.

"I wasn't. I was interrogating him. Scare tactics. Like Taiki said, he just got out of our hands." Devlin started towards the door without meeting his eyes. "C'mon, we gotta go."

Cedric once again looked to Taiki for confirmation. He froze, unsure whether or not his friend was being entirely truthful, but willing to give him the benefit of the doubt for the time being. "Yeah…scare tactics."

The boy appeared to accept this, following after Devlin and gesturing Taiki to come along. "Got an update from Haruki. We've got a possible lead with the Chronicler. Mori says she might have known him personally."

"Really?" Devlin paused as he opened the door, looking back at them over his shoulder. He scrunched his face in mild surprise, causing a fleck of glass to fall out of his cheek. "Ok, let's go."

"You've," Taiki waved to get his attention, then gestured at his own face to indicate Devlin's, "you've got something…"

"Huh?" Devlin took a second to follow his meaning, wiping his hand over his face, wincing as it brushed over the bits of glass.

He exited the shop, plucking the shards from his face and tossing them away. Some of the fragments would disintegrate as they tumbled through the air, while others were more persistent and remained where they fell, something Taiki observed and considered curiously inconsistent. Thankfully there were no other pedestrians about to see them leave Otto's shop.

Cedric walked past them, stopping as he cut them off. "Did you get anything from Otto?"

Devlin almost bumped into him. "Said he worked for Poh, but I'm pretty sure he knows where to find Shinjin, not that we'll be getting anything out of him now. Why are we stopping? Let's go."

He made to move around Cedric, as if to walk away from the conversation before he could ask any more questions, but Cedric sidestepped back into his path. "The girls already checked. By the time they got there the Chronicler had already completed her second count and wasn't there. We'll have to see her tomorrow."

"Oh," Devlin finally stopped trying to evade him, "ok. Where to, then?"

"We're going home."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The Wanderer's Den. It had been little more than three weeks, less than a month since they'd last been here, near the start of Taiki's adventures with the Wayward Pact. It felt much longer, as though a lifetime had passed between then and now. The idea had been put forth that they should go somewhere random again like they had with Hispellum, but at this point hiding from their enemies was pointless. Hiding hadn't worked, and with their guild mates as their prisoners they could only wait for them to contact them, either by message or in person. Besides, Shinjin could simply use Chie or Mamoru's menu to find them on their map unless they chose to all hide themselves from it as their friends were. However, there was presently no reason to do so. It wasn't like they were about to sneak up on them or perform some counter attack with no idea where any of them were.

They had tried to send a message to Shinjin but it had bounced back as undeliverable. An alias, not his player name. Messages sent to Keiko or the other members of the group whose names Taiki had gathered went through more successfully, but went as unanswered as the periodic messages sent to their comrades.

They regrouped in the main apartment to bring each other up to speed, the common room able to accommodate their diminished numbers much more easily. Haruki neglected to inform them of her attempts to contact the Inquisitor, as that had so far proved fruitless. Cedric had likewise left out the more unsavory portions of their interrogation of Otto. After hearing about the man's affiliation with Laughing Coffin, Haruki had messaged Mori to instruct her to leak the information to the Aincrad Army, citing some minor favour the info broker owed her. Haruki's leverage over her was worth that much, at least.

Weary, and with nothing more to do than wait for tomorrow morning, the party made ready for what would no doubt be a restless night's sleep. It was decided that Devlin would spend the night in the same room as Haruki and Cedric, the former suggesting it for fear that their only bargaining chip might run away. Devlin had offered no argument, dragging one of the chairs into the room.

Taiki stood in the main room, Amber hovering quietly nearby. Despite the tense atmosphere, he covered his mouth as he gave a long yawn. He'd wanted to speak with Devlin in private, but there was no opportunity in the small apartment. Cedric had also kept him on a short leash, not letting Devlin out of sight since they left Otto's. Putting it off for tomorrow Taiki yawned again, this time Amber finding it contagious, and made to find somewhere to sleep. Cedric and Mamoru had taken the two beds, and Devlin one of the chairs. There was still one more chair by the window, but Taiki found the prospect of sleeping upright unappealing. How Devlin managed to do so, seemingly exclusively, was a mystery to him.

Amber's feet scuffing on the floor beside him drew his attention to her, and Taiki realized she was waiting on him. Last time they had been here, he and Devlin had slept in her living room, with him on the floor. Taking that as his queue, he nodded to her, and the two of them made their way next door, Taiki following after her. Once they entered her apartment she wordlessly excused herself to her room. She'd been distressingly quiet since they'd gotten back from Rengoku, and he was starting to worry.

Through the open door to her bedroom came a brief blue flash and the distinctive accompanying noise of equipment spawning or despawning to the ether as she changed out of sight. He took advantage of the moment of privacy to do so as well, opening his menu to deposit his day clothes and equipment and changing into a simple set of shorts and t-shirt. The sleeping roll in his inventory wasn't the most comfortable and he didn't keep any other form of bedding with him. Waiting a moment to avoid potentially walking in on her, Taiki padded barefoot over to the threshold of her bedroom to ask for something to sleep on. He was about to lightly rap a knuckle on the doorframe to announce himself, but was given pause by her forlorn demeanor.

Already changed into her flowing teal nightgown, Amber was sitting at the foot or her bed, elbows on her knees and staring at the floor sullenly. Registering his presence, Amber looked up to Taiki. He could see a fresh pair of wet streaks down her face, and the spot on the floor at her feet where the tears had fallen.

Taiki lowered his hand from where he'd been about to knock. "You alright?"

A stupid question with an obvious answer.

She wiped her hands over her face and sniffed. Not waiting for a more verbal reply, Taiki entered the room and sat on the bed beside her to her right. He sank deeply into the overly soft mattress, causing her to briefly lean against him. Having been holding it in for the better part of the evening, Amber wept quietly next to him. An uncomfortable silence permeated the room as he struggled for the rights words.

He mentally kicked himself. _Say something._

It dawned on him that she was the only one really sorry about the loss of Brenda. With the NPC gone the team had lost an asset, something overshadowed by the ongoing threat to their more human companions. It was debatable whether or not anyone would even consider Brenda as dead, as something would need to have first been considered alive. Amber was the only one who had last a friend, and was alone in her grief.

For her part, she recognized that nobody else had really cared for the NPC. Where she saw a trusted friend of almost half a year, they saw, at best, a tool or a pet. Their focus was better directed at recovering the living, not getting caught up on replaceable, computer generated drones. Amber had held it in, not wanting to feel selfish in trying expressing her grief around those that didn't share it.

"Brenda…" Taiki spoke softly, "Brenda was a good friend."

She started crying more heavily. Not outright sobbing but the tears flowed more freely, and he had to wonder if her opening the metaphorical floodgates was a sign that he'd screwed up or had said the right thing. Taiki was unsure how to go about comforting someone after losing something approximating a best friend. Tell them it's ok when it isn't? Promise revenge? Help them find another NPC? It occurred to him that he was probably really bad at this. With nothing to say coming to mind, he said nothing, opting to place a hand on her shoulder instead. She flinched at the unexpected contact, but gave no rejection. More confident, he extended the arm to more fully reach over her shoulders. She leaned towards him, but not against him. Through the cloth of her gown he was reminded how unnaturally cool she was to the touch.

For some time the two of them sat there, him not quite holding her as she softly wept. Hers wasn't a pain he could share, but he could at least be there for her.

"I," She wiped the back of her hand over her eyes again, giving a weak laugh to herself, "I ever tell you about the time she almost broke Cedric's arm?"

He raised a curious eyebrow. "No."

Amber took this as direction to continue, sniffing again as she stopped crying. "We were on some seek and destroy quest. Kill a dozen yormagaunts, or something. Ground was real uneven. Mostly loose rocks. I'm up front, Cedric's behind me, using his spear as a walking stick."

Taiki removed the hand her shoulders, finding it awkward and pointless to keep it there any longer.

"Going through this real rough patch," she continued, "and he gets his foot caught on somethings. Trips and falls."

"He-" a short laugh and another sniff, "he tries to catch himself on his spear, I guess, but instead he ends up falling into me. Spear jabs me in the back of the knee. Not bad, or anything, shallow nick."

They twisted to face each other while she told her story. Taiki was happy to see her face drying up.

"Obvious accident. His icon didn't change, or anything." She finally managed a weak smile. "Anyways, he still getting up, apologizing, when Brenda runs up all the way from the back. She was watching behind us. She runs up from the back and dive tackles him out of nowhere. Gets him in an arm lock. Thought she was going to tear it out of its socket."

Taiki had to chuckle at that image, much as he liked Cedric. The idea of an NPC getting the jump on someone and managing to pin them was at least a little inherently funny.

"They didn't think it was so funny." She took a deep breath, having regained her composure. "Y'know, it was her idea to join up with Chie's party."

That was unexpected. "Really?"

"Yeah." Amber nodded. "We'd been traveling together for about four months by then, just the two of us. We ran into everyone out in the field and Brenda suggested I try and tag along with them. Said I needed to try and make more friends."

_What an odd thing for an NPC to do._ Taiki mused.

He held in a yawn, glancing at his HUD. It was well after one in the morning. They could expect the day to start early. Best to sleep while they could.

"It's getting late. We should turn in" Taiki stood, feeling the soft mattress expanding back into shape as he took his weight off of it. "Goodnight, Amber."

He started towards the bedroom door, having forgotten that he'd never gotten the bedding he'd came in for in the first place. The rustle of fabric preceded a hand snapping out, catching him by the wrist and drawing him to a halt.

"Wait." Amber was leaning forward, heaving reached out to stop him. "Stay."

_What. _"What?"

"Stay?" She repeated. Her eyes flicked to his wrist, and she quickly let go, embarrassed.

Taiki was not skilled at reading such situations, but he could be forgiven for leaping to conclusions. He took a more concerned tone. "Amber, I'm not su-"

"It's not…I don't…I'm…" She fumbled for the words she was searching for. "It's cold."

Taiki found the temperature comfortable enough, but he knew how strangely cool Amber was, and knew well enough that Brenda had always functioned as something of a bed warmer for her. Amber's almost worried expression at his attempt to leave gave him pause once more. Taiki frowned as another thought occurred to him. In the entirety of the time he had been with the Wayward Pact, he could not think of a single time that Amber had been alone. She was almost always with Brenda, and the only times the companion wasn't by her side was after she was already with one or more of the rest of them. She was at most alone with one of them at a time, but never leaving any of them until she could tag along with someone else or regroup with Brenda. Try as he might, he could not remember ever seeing or coming across the girl when she'd actually been by herself.

_She looks_…he studied her face, trying to read her emotions, _afraid? Of being alone?_

There wasn't any more mistaking the situation as some sort of call for indecent physical comfort, as though this were some horribly trashy romance novel he'd suddenly found himself in. He thought it over, concluding that the bed would be more comfortable than the floor.

"Alright." A shallow inclination of his head. "I'll stay."

Her relief was palpable. "Thanks."

Tired, and with nothing more to talk about, Taiki walked around to the right side of the bed as Amber moved to the left. He peeled open the covers to find two thick quilts layered over a thinner sheet. He once again sank too far into the mattress as it depressed beneath him, and he instantly regretted agreeing to this. It shift slightly as Amber slipped under the covers. Pulling them over himself he was almost immediately too hot and felt as though he was being smothered. He discarded the pillow, finding it likewise too soft.

_How does she sleep under all this weight? _He folded the quilts off of himself, leaving only the sheet in covering him.

Turning onto his side, he was left staring awkwardly into Amber's eyes. Starting to feel too warm again, he rolled onto his other side to face away from her. The mattress shifted again as she did the same. Thankfully, the bed was spacious enough for the two of them, with plenty of extra room. In spite of this, after a couple minutes he sensed her moving again, and soon after he felt her slide over towards him, coming to rest with her back tentatively against his.

Eventually she relaxed, and the pressure increased, not so much by her intent but because in the fluffed mattress Taiki was practically downhill. Taiki tried to ignore it, finding it difficult with the frigid mass drawing away his body heat. In time, she fell asleep, or at least he thought she did, judging by the quiet rhythm of her breathing. He considered trying to slip away, but didn't want to disturb her.

He lay awake for some time worrying over his friends and the day's events. The interrogation at Otto's still left a sour taste in his mouth, as well as his screw up that allowed the man to escape. He had to wonder, if things if had gone differently how far Devlin had been willing to go. As much as he disliked violence, it had served a purpose, unlike the throttling he'd been all too eager to take part in.

That was most troubling of all. His hands around Otto's throat, crushing him. It had almost felt natural. Familiar. Perhaps the question wasn't how far Devlin would go, but he, himself. These though plagued him, following him into troubled slumber.

* * *

Author's Notes: Long as this chapter took, and the number of re-writes it went through, I'm not sure how satisfied I am with it. There was a lot of ground to cover, and the chapter ended up longer than I wanted, but I didn't want to devote too much time and end up splitting it into two. Might come back to tweak this in the future.

More character stuff. I intend to develop Amber more fully when the chance comes around. Working up to another battle/fight scene I've personally been looking for, as something of a turning point for the characters involved.

For the conversation between Mori and her paramour, I had to write that using Google translate, so I'm not sure how well that came through. The conversation between Mori and her was Mori suggesting she go on ahead, and her replying with the comment that upset Haruki, "You sure you don't want me to stick around, darling? This old cow looks like she's about to charge."

Been a while. If you're reading this, thanks for sticking around.


	23. Chapter 21: Preamble

_The facsimile of sunlight illuminated the pair with a brilliance that was too weak to measure up to the real thing. From where they stood, all four of the main glowstone spires in Rengoku were visible, as they were from just about anywhere in town, combining their luminescence into what approximated early evening, though in truth it was not yet noon. The multiple sources of light had the added effect of everything having just as many shadows of differing length and depth depending on where they were at any given moment. It had been surprisingly distracting at first. More bothersome was that the incalculable large cavern everything was in swallowed the light in all directions._

_If he squinted his eyes, Taiki could make out thin wisps of clouds above at the very edge of the perpetual pitch black night that surrounded the red haven. He wondered if it ever rained here, underground, though it wasn't as though anything would need it. The ground he stood on was flat stone, barren of any grass. The town had no natural vegetation, the few trees that stood were artificial decorations. Rengoku sat on its platform, a bubble of light in a sea of darkness._

_The orange glow of the manmade lights glinted off the knife he held as he craned his head up to try and see any clouds today, but might as well have been looking into a depthless pit. Taiki wouldn't normally consider a knife his first choice of weapon, nor the second. After having gotten used to fighting with swords, the twenty centimeter straight blade felt wholly inadequate. It appeared even smaller, wrapped in his oversized hand. Nevertheless, he gripped the leather wrapped handle tightly, holding it point forward and low, pulled back near his waist, ready to stab out. _

_"Whenever you're ready." His opponent said expectantly, after he'd been staring upwards for near a minute._

_Chie was unarmed, save for pair of thirty centimeter, lightly curved daggers with ivory handles still sheathed on either hip. This was in part due to the weapon restrictions in the red haven. She was likewise unarmoured, having discarded the protective gear for a more comfortable set of standard, simple day clothes consisting of a sage green long sleeve shirt and tan slacks._

_Taiki pulled himself away from the oppressive view of the pseudo-sky back to his more grounded teacher a couple paces away. He was likewise casually dressed, wearing a blue t-shirt and black pants. Nodding in reply, he closed the distance between them with a long step, thrusting the knife up from his waist at her gut. The motion was slow and drawn out. As the blade approached her, Chie likewise moved slowly in response, bringing her left arm down to strike at the inside of his forearm, blocking and diverting the mock attack, then following up by grabbing his wrist with both hands and rotating it clockwise to the outside in a manner that would have been significantly more unpleasant at speed. The combination of movements forced Taiki's arm around, subduing him bodily in the process, though Chie stopped before the joint was rotated enough to force Taiki to go to ground._

_"You got it?" Chie asked her student._

_"Yeah," He replied with a wince as she plucked the knife from his grasp and let go. He played the motions over again in his mind as he shook his arm out. "yeah, I got it."_

_"Good." She took a stance identical to the one he'd been in, ready to stab at him. "Your turn."_

_Slower than was probably needed, Chie performed the same stab, and Taiki blocked it in the same manner, pausing between steps as he recalled the proper grips and motions needed to bring the technique to fruition. Chie nearly lost her footing as he unintentionally twisted her arm farther than he'd intended, but ended up properly disarmed. With the knife back in his hand, he stabbed at her in turn and was again blocked, the two of them going in a back and forth drill._

_The Wayward Pact had been staying in Rengoku for almost six days at this point, still waiting for a chance to meet with the poisoner Virul. Taiki's mood had been noticeably sullen since their first night here, the collective negative rumours about himself and his piano duet with Amber working to sour his mood, combining with the lingering weight of his duel with Eckhardt. As an attempt to both occupy his mind and help prepare him for when they inevitably met the man's still living comrades, Chie had been training with him every morning in addition to his almost daily sparring with Devlin. Today, she was imparting her knowledge of how to deal with a knife attack while unarmed, among other things._

_Once they had gotten back into something of a rhythm, he resumed their previous conversation. "So, if the Aincrad Army isn't clearing the floors anymore, who is?"_

_The Aincrad Liberation Force, or ALF, or most commonly called, the Aincrad Army, had previously been the largest guild in Aincrad. They'd since fallen on hard times, and where now a fractured shell of their former selves. They were now regarded as something of a lesson, an example of grasping for too much power. While in their heyday storming the front, they had been some of the strongest players in the game, and had started to lord it over everyone else. At one point they had even started trying to 'requisition' resources from other players in what was little more than strong arming those who were weaker. After bouts of poor leadership, infighting, and an unsustainable amount of casualties caused by both, they had for the most part started to fade into the background, much as they coveted their former glory._

_"A few groups." Chie answered as she firmly but gently twisted his arm and took the knife. "There's the Knights Ascendant, a small…maybe fifteen strong band of heavy hitters."_

_She slowly stabbed at him, continuing their drill as she spoke. "Then there's the Many Hands. Bunch of slippery damage dealers. Kinda creepy, but they keep to themselves and generally mean well."_

_Taiki recognized the name. She'd mentioned them once before in passing. A benevolent though reclusive guild identified by their blackhooded cowls, bereft of any features, save for the white palm print over their faces._

_"There's a smaller group called the Fuurinkazan. People tend to overlook them but they're plenty capable. I hear they've never lost a member since their founding early in the game. Let's see…another is the Kings in Crystal."_

_Her lips twitched down in a shallow frown as she paused a second before repeating her stab. "Stay clear of them. They're…not right in the head, I think. Keep away from the Divine Dragon Alliance, too. They can be more than a little asshole-ish."_

_"The biggest group right now is the Knights of the Blood Oath. Little uptight, but they've got a lot of powerful members. I wouldn't be surprised if they stay the top dogs for the rest of the game. Led by a council headed by their founder, a man named Heathcliff. I actually met him once. Well, more like I bumped into him and we shared a few words. He comes off a bit cold at first, but the man had an inspiring sincerity to him that's far too rare. There's a few other groups that like to call themselves clearers, but the Blood Oath and the other ones do most of the work."_

_"Sounds like there's a lot of guilds." Taiki commented._

_"Oh, tons." She confirmed. "Only need five people to register a guild."_

_"Anyone else I should know about?" He asked, cutting his own stab short when she stopped a moment to think._

_"There's a few red guilds." She stood from her ready crouch to her full height when Taiki made no move to continue the drill. "The big three are the Corsairs, the Unfettered and Laughing Coffin. Hopefully we never have to deal with any of them."_

_Having reached the presumed end of the discussion on the matter, Chie held her arms out to her side, beckoning him to continue their drill. "Let's speed it up a little."_

_The small knife was given another once over. It was a simple straight blade with a small, rounded guard made from brass and a stained wood handle, the tang of the blade running down between the two halves of the wood to the brass cap at the bottom. He obliged her request, beginning the drill again with a quicker, albeit still casual stab. "These guilds, their names mean anything?"_

_"Not always, but usually." Chie replied, taking the measured tone of a teacher instructing her student as she caught the attack. "The Blood Oath take their loyalty very seriously. The Many Hands name ties into their philosophy and motto, 'many hands make the load light.' Divine Dragon Alliance are pretentious pricks, and the Kings in Crystal see themselves like royalty inheriting Aincrad, or something crazy like that."_

_Another lethargic exchange of the knife back and forth as she continued. "Not sure what Fuurinkazan or the Unfettered are supposed to be about."_

_"What about the Wayward Pact?" Taiki asked, pausing again. "Our name mean anything?"_

_"We're not a registered guild, just a party, but yeah." Their drill concluded with her holding the knife. "Everyone that's joined our party has done so one or two at a time after having gone solo. It's like we're all wayward, wandering souls, but we're held together by a pact: that we all watch out for each other. For better or worse, we have each other's backs."_

_She broke eye contact and kicked a nearby stone away. "At least, that was the idea."_

_Taiki noted that the word 'pact' was also fairly close to 'pack', which would fit the small group well enough._

I guess that makes Chie like our den mother. _Taiki mused. It fit her approach to her party. _Maybe that's why Haruki doesn't get along with her.

_"We're getting off track." She tossed him the knife. "C'mon, I'll show you another hold."_

_Taiki caught the weapon awkwardly in a manner that left a portion of the tip lodged in palm. "Is this stuff really all that useful? I mean, these blocks, could you stop someone with it if they were really trying?"_

_With how often everyone carried full sized swords, Taiki didn't initially see the point of barehanded blocks against knives at all at first. Life was, however, full of variables. There were times where he was without his weapon, or couldn't draw it in time. Unlike reality, where a single stab could kill you, everyone in Aincrad was a good deal more durable, but knives and daggers were quick, able to deliver a flurry of blows in the right hands. Knives were also ideal for dealing bleeding damage, and as their encounter with Zahnri had showed, a single hit from a quality poison could be a serious problem. _

_Every technique was another tool, and the more rounded one's skills the better. Still, if someone tried to stab him with a knife his first reaction would probably be to punch them._

_ "Sure." Chie waved a hand in invitation. "Here, try and stab me for real. I'll show you."_

_With about a foot and a half and a significant amount of mass over her, Taiki had no doubt he was the stronger of the two physically. The drills they'd been going through had been a decent distraction, but he wasn't convinced about their practicality. He still hadn't fully tested his strength, but he figured he'd probably be able to power through a block from someone smaller than him. _

_Taiki obliged the invitation with a short bow and quickly closed the distance to repeat the same stab they'd been practicing blocking, but with the speed and force to make it land. To his surprise, Chie blocked it the same manner, though not without some effort on her part. True enough, the exchange ended with his arm twisted round, and his straining against it made it clear Chie could keep turning it if she wanted to. There were things more useful than brute force. Proper leverage and the body's mechanics had their ways of working against a stronger foe._

_He took a knee when she demonstrated the by pressing down on his knife hand, having already rotated farther than comfort would normally allow._

_"Okay." He tapped out. "Lesson learned."_

_Though the exercises were in part to help Taiki, it was clear by the grin on her face that Chie was thoroughly enjoying this._

_Taiki stretched out the abused hand and wrist. "I'm glad you're having fun, at least."_

_"Sorry," she said in opposition to her widening smile, "I'd do this all the time with Takara. Reminds me of him."_

_"Were you always this gentle?" He asked wryly. The tendon in his wrist popped as he rotated his hand, clenching the fist._

_She sighed. "No. I was too hard on him at first. I meant well, but looking back I pushed him too hard, but I had to."_

_Taiki raised an eyebrow. "Why?"_

_She hesitated, but didn't change the subject. Over time she'd become more willing to speak of her life on the outside. "He was always a small kid. Other kids picked at him for it. I blamed myself, and when he was old enough I wanted to make sure he got stronger."_

_Taiki brushed off his knee "How would that be your fault?"_

_Chie shifted uncomfortably, averting her eyes._

_He didn't want to push. "We can talk about something else if you want. Tell me about this Heathcliff guy."_

_"It's fine." She cleared her throat, gathering her words. "Before I knew I was pregnant, I had some…chemicals, in my system. Often."_

_"You mean like medications?" He asked, innocently._

_"No," she said, shaking her head. Taiki's naïve ignorance of many things about the world could sometimes be a somewhat endearing characteristic, but it could also make it difficult to tiptoe around a subject without having to spell it out. "not that kind of drugs. When I quit, the withdrawal was hard on me. On us, I think."_

_Taiki nodded his head in understanding but said nothing further, allowing her to continue._

_The shame in her tone was plain and unhidden. "I was doing well for a while, but I…I wasn't strong enough. I screwed up. He was born too early. Small and feeble…I remember sitting in the hospital, listening to him struggle to breath."_

_He knew Chie didn't like to speak on the subject, but he was pleased she was opening up to him. He sensed that after the previous conversations, she'd been somewhat relieved, as though it was cathartic. Perhaps it was because there was nobody else she could tell. Cedric idolized her too much, and nobody else was close enough. She could speak with him without judgement. It was a small way he could be there for her._

_"But he got better, right?"_

_"Yeah." She wiped at her eyes. "Little trooper pulled through, but sitting there, I decided I had to be better. Not for me, but for him, and I'd do whatever I could to make sure when he grew he'd turned out better than I had."_

_He took a step towards her, placing her at arm's reach. "If he's anything like the Chie I know, then I'm sure he's a great guy."_

_Chie let out of a breath of air that wasn't quite a humourless laugh or a sigh, still not raising her gaze back to his. Seeing her like this, he felt a compulsion to take another step, reach out and embrace her. Uncertainty stayed his feet, and he found himself unsure of what else to do or say. The voice of Devlin calling out to them from somewhere behind him shattered the moment, prompting Chie to quickly put on a casual façade._

_Taiki started to turn towards his friend, heading over to them from the nearby Waylon's Waylay, when he heard the clack of Chie's shoes on the stone ground as she closed the gap between them. He was given pause as her arms came around him, her head against his chest. Slowly, he reciprocated the affection._

_There was nothing romantic about the embrace, but there was a comfort to be found in it. A welcoming warmth. The feeling was almost familial. Taiki was aware that this hadn't actually happened, that Devlin had joined them unaware of the moment he'd crashed. Such is the benefit of dreams._

_He felt her give his back an appreciative pat. "You're a good kid, Taiki." _

_He stumbled forward, his arms suddenly empty. She was behind him now. Her head was nuzzling in between his shoulder blades when he was struck by how quickly she shifted from warm to cold, causing him to shiver as the world melted into shadow around him._

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He returned to the waking world with a wide yawn, summoned by the bleating of an archaic clock on the nightstand. He pawed his hand out, lethargically slapping the top of it until he connected with the relevant control stud on the fourth try. Laying on his side, he arched his back as he stretched, earning a mumbled complaint from behind him. The soft, still sleeping voice reminded him he wasn't alone. While Taiki still faced away from his friend, at some point in the night she had turned round towards him. Her face was nuzzled into his back, and her limbs had entangled themselves around him, her right arm reaching up around his torso and one of her legs snaking between his thighs. She shifted again, with the latter's placement making him regret not having had the foresight to turn on his ethics setting the night prior.

The covers, heavy and hot as they were, had been mostly tossed off of him, leaving his upper body bare save for his shirt. Comparatively, Amber behind him was altogether buried under the resulting mound of quilts, drawing him to wonder how she could even breathe beneath it all. Even under the heavy covers he could still feel her sapping away his body heat, though she'd thankfully warmed somewhat overnight from outright frigid to tolerably cool. The only part of her that wasn't submerged under the collective downy pile was her right arm, wrapped possessively around him.

His attention was drawn to the complexion of the limb. Placing his own right arm alongside hers, the difference was apparent. While he had a heavy, sun darkened tan, her skin was comparatively light. It wasn't outright pale, nor was it as flawlessly fair as Cedric's, but it was noticeably lighter than average. Against his deep tan it was a stark contrast.

She breathed deep, the exhalation against the his spine between his shoulder blades causing the hairs on the back of his neck to stand on end. Thoroughly awake, he softly peeled her arm off of himself and untangled his legs. The moment he started to move away she woke, grabbing onto his shirt and stopping him.

"Um…" he said awkwardly, "good morning?"

Upon hearing a voice decidedly more masculine than she was accustomed to rousing next to she quickly let go, issuing an embarrassed apology. Free of her clutches, he stood, able to stretch more fully, his back cracking in protest against the night spent on the uncomfortably soft mattress. He turned back to the bed, seeing that she had flop-rolled into the craterous depression he'd left in it. Sitting up, the covers slid off of her in layers, revealing a reddened expression and raven hair in an adorably tussled mess.

"Sleep well?" He asked, and was answered by a shallow nod.

A glance at his HUD told him it was just about five thirty in the morning. Opening his menu and tabbing over to his inventory, he selected a set of casual day clothes and headed for the door to the living room. Even though his current garments would be removed and replaced by a simple drag and drop of the fresh set into their equip slots, there was still the almost subliminally short fraction of a second between the two steps. Even if there wasn't he would prefer to change clothes in private, if only for the sake of propriety.

"Wait," she rubbed the night's grit from her eyes, "where are you going?"

"I'm not going anywhere." There was what he felt was a normally unnecessary need to reassure her. "Just need to change. I'll be right outside."

"Oh," another embarrassed frown, "right. Ok."

He stepped out of the room, shutting the door behind him. Once alone he scrolled through his available clothes, passing over a few sets he hadn't had properly laundered yet before settling on a somewhat nicer set of black shirt and pants. The faint sounds of items spawning and despawning from the other room preceded Amber opening the bedroom door, dressed in a rather formal looking violet blouse and knee length skirt. Her hair was in the process of being straightened out by slow draws from a fine-toothed whalebone comb, returning it from its jumbled mess to her usual sleek, albeit plain style.

Self-conscious, he ran his hand over his own shorter brown hair. "The others up yet?"

With a wave she opened her menu. "I'll check."

A couple button presses and she'd tabbed to her map, zooming in to the immediate area. Standing opposite her, Taiki could vaguely make out the green circles representing their party members in the next room through the translucent panel. Couldn't tell who was which, but in answer to his question two of them were moving.

Finished with its task, the comb was returned to her inventory. "Guess we should get going, then."

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The sun was just peaking over the horizon as the party approached their destination. The Grand Aincrad Cathedral that contained the Room of Resurrection was situated just south of the city's central teleport plaza, opposite the much larger and impressive, though some would say imposing Black Iron Palace to the north. The home of the Aincrad Liberation Force, or the Aincrad Army, as they were more commonly called. Taiki recalled that it was said that the Room of Resurrection was originally part of the palace during the beta, but had been moved to its own structure in the official release.

The Black Iron Palace was constructed of its eponymous blackened iron and equally dark stonework, with the style favouring rounded edges. The main building was capped with a large gleaming arched dome nearly twenty five meters up, with smaller domed turrets sitting lower at its four corners. Farther out from the center four thin cylindrical spires reached upwards, ending in conical points standing at around thirty meters. At the building's front was an outcropping that was topped with another shorter domed rotunda. Smaller offshoots one to three stories high connected to the sides, with several smaller disconnected buildings crowding it nearby. Surrounding the entire complex was a deep defensive moat, with a currently raised cross bridge connecting the shores.

The decidedly gothic styled cathedral almost appeared to have been designed in counter point to the palace. The cathedral was designed with sharper edges and was made primarily from bleached off-white stone with trim consisting of heavily oxidized green copper. The vestibule was a two storey high chamber, standing at half the height of the palace's main dome, and was around ten meters wide by fifteen deep. The main sanctuary this led into was a cavernous room around twenty meters wide and forty deep, with arched buttresses extending upwards as high as the palace's spires. On the left side of the building was a single outcropping the size of a large two storey house. Though the cathedral was only a fifth the size of the palace in terms of how much ground it covered, its own robust squared spires reached significantly farther skyward. There were two on the front corners of the vestibule, and one at each of the four corners of the main structure, reaching thirty and sixty meters, respectively. Curiously, the church had no bells.

In contrast to the Iron Palace's smooth metal construction, the stonework of the cathedral was considerably rougher, with the occasional stone jutting out unevenly. While the windows on the iron palace were small, almost portholes, the cathedral was adorned with impressively large panes of stained glass. Instead of the closely situated cluster of smaller buildings and the encircling moat, the cathedral was surrounded by a wide area of open ground filled with lush grass and various wildflowers scattered in colourful clusters.

Cedric glanced over his shoulder at Taiki as they ascended the steps to the cathedral's main entrance. "Taiki, the Chronicler already knows about you, right?"

"Yeah, we've met." While he'd spoken with the girl once before, he hadn't known who she was until Chie explained it to him afterwards.

"Hey, you sure you guys need me to come along?" Devlin spoke up. At Cedric and Haruki's insistence he had pulled down his half mask. "You want I should maybe wait out here?"

"You don't go anywhere without us." Cedric declared. "We go in, you go in. You have a problem with the Chronicler?"

"No," Devlin shrugged casually, "just never been much for religion."

The boy stopped with a hand on the door, frowning at the comment. "And what's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing." Devlin replied, more defensively. "I just find the little cult of personality she's got going around her a little creepy, is all. She dresses fancy, adds a little mystery with her veil, speaks funny and pretends to have great insights and you people latch right onto it. How much do you think she rakes in from this operation?"

Cedric let his hand slide from the handle back to his side as he more fully turned towards him, taking offense. "_Operation? _The Chronicler provides a public service unasked. If you're referring to the donations she receives, some of us choose to give a little back in thanks."

"How long until you guys start calling it a tithe?" Devlin muttered.

Taiki leaned down to speak quietly into his friend's ear. "You really think this is the best time to start an argument?'

Devlin sighed, but relented. "Fine, ok, I'll come in, but I don't want to have to get one of the Gravemaiden's signature Sherlock Scans-"

His head jerked forward as Haruki roughly smacked him in the back of the skull, giving the simple but succinct command to "Shut up."

The discussion on the matter concluded, Cedric opened one of the double doors and led the party into the cathedral. Taiki was caught off guard by the conversation, both by Devlin's comments and everyone's reaction to them. Even Haruki had respected the girl enough to raise physical objection, though she may have simply welcomed the excuse as an opportunity.

Trailing after Devlin, who was rubbing at the back of his head, Taiki stepped inside, followed lastly by Amber. At the far end of the chamber was the Monument of Life on its raised dais. It was normally illuminated by the skylights and windows but the sun had yet to reach high enough to do so. While there were lamps along the walls approaching it, the only source of light near the monument itself was a kerosene lantern sitting atop a small round table. The single chair at the table was unoccupied, its owner currently standing in front of the monument, facing the black slab. Distant as they still were, Taiki could not see what exactly she was doing. She didn't appear to take immediate notice if them, or at least give any acknowledgment.

What caught Taiki's eye was a prominent difference in the cathedral since the last time he'd been here. Previously, the floor of the main sanctuary had been empty, barren of anything save for the monument and the statues between the surrounding support pillars. Now there were five rows of long wooden pews in two columns, split with a red carpet running down the middle of the room from the entrance of the main chamber to the foot of the steps to the monument.

The party walked up the red carpet, led by Cedric, who stopped at the first row of pews which sat six meters from the base of the dais. Now that they were closer it was possible to see what the girl was doing. The Chronicler was standing near the right side of the monument, slowly dragging the tips of the fingers on her left hand across its face. A strong scent tickled at his nose, and Taiki could see there were two sticks on burning incense sitting next to two blood red roses in a copper bowl on the floor near the center of the slab. The Chronicler performed two counts per day, once before sunrise for those that had passed during the previous night, and another after sunset for those who had passed during the day. The two sticks of incense and the red roses were then for the two Laughing Coffin men who had died in Rengoku, caught in last night's count. If there was any consolation, it was that they were the only two to have died yesterday.

"I hope this morning finds you well." The Chronicler said in greeting. She turned her veiled gaze to face them, still drawing her fingertips across the names on the slab, as though continuing to read them through means other than by sight. She paused as her eyes fell upon her visitors. "You are troubled."

It was equal parts question and declaration.

Cedric sat in the pew. "Please, Chronicler, don't let us interrupt your Count."

She resumed her hand's movement, still facing their way. "What has happened?"

"There's a lot to explain." Cedric replied. "When you're free we'd like to ask your help. We can wait a moment."

She paused again before nodding. "As you wish."

The chronicler turned away from them to face the monument again. Once her hand completed its trek across the face to its right edge she lowered it, clasping her hands at her waist. As they waited the rest of them took a seat on the pew, save for Devlin. For a long five minutes she stared at the monument, slowly panning her head as she read the bottom lines of the slab. Once her task was apparently completed, she spun away from the monument and descended from the dais. As she approached them, Cedric, Haruki and Amber stood, then took a knee, dipping their heads, with Cedric raising his right hand palm down, holding an offering of a small bag of coins. After a moment's confusion over what was happening, Taiki took a knee and dipped his head as well. Following Cedric's lead, he started to raise his left hand, caught himself, and raised his right instead. With nothing to offer, he made a loose fist.

Devlin continued to remain standing, drawing a sour sidelong eye from Haruki. She performed a double take as she noticed that he'd pulled his mask back over his face at some point they hadn't been watching. She hissed a command under her breath. "Take that off_ now!"_

"It is alright," The Chronicler placed her hand under Cedric's, bidding him to rise but turning his hand palm up, not taking the offering, "it is not me that he hides from."

With his head still dipped, Taiki didn't see her walk over to him until she was directly in front of him. Her footsteps were so silent that even this close he couldn't hear her coming. As she had with Cedric, she placed her palm under his fist, signaling for him to stand. Once he had returned to his feet, the Chronicler took hold of his hand, opening the fingers and appearing to study his palm a moment.

"I am pleased to see you well, Taiki." She let go of him, stepping back to address all of them and leaving Taiki to inspect his own hand, wondering what she'd been looking at. "Now, what has happened? Two names added to the lost and here you are. Where are Chie and Mamoru? What has felled Brenda?"

Taiki raised an eyebrow. _How would she know about that? NPCs aren't listed on the monument._

"We were attacked by a group belonging to Laughing Coffin. The two that died yesterday were part of that group." Cedric answered somberly. "Chie and Mamoru were taken hostage. Brenda died saving Amber."

Haruki gestured to Devlin. "They were after him."

The Chronicler tilted her head up to the masked member of their party. While Taiki's presence more often than not relegated him to the second tallest person in the room, he still stood almost a full foot taller than the diminutive girl. "You must be Devlin. Chie spoke of you when last she visited."

She turned back to Cedric. "I do not understand. How might I be able to assist you with Laughing Coffin?"

"We don't expect you to. Not directly, anyways," Cedric conceded, "but we've been attacked three times now by people that know a great deal more about us than we do of them. Before we meet them again we need a better idea of who we're facing."

"Chronicler," he continued, bowing deeply, "the group that has been attacking us is led by a man that I am told you may have once known. Is there anything you can tell us about Shinjin the Butcher? He's also been called Sin-Jin the Flayed, though you may have known him as Shinjin the Stalwart."

There was a quiet but audible intake of breath within the black veil at the first utterance of the man's name. Her next word was almost a whisper. "Shinji."

Haruki commented on the obvious confirmation. "So, you do know him."

The Chronicler gave a sad sigh. "I knew the man he was."

"What can you tell us about him?" Cedric asked.

The waif wrung her gloved hands together, hesitating for several seconds. "All that I know."

She turned away and ascended the dais to stand beside her table. Her count concluded, she closed the massive leather bound tome that sat upon it with a resounding thud and returned it to her inventory. Her affairs wrapped up here, she strode past them along the red carpet.

"This is not the place for such a discussion." She said, heading for the exit. "Please, come with me."

Cedric was momentarily nonplussed by her sudden departure.

The Chronicler sensed his surprise easily enough. It wasn't often she left her self-imposed station at the cathedral on account of a visitor, especially so soon after having just completed her morning count. "Apart from the two you felled yesterday the Monument has been silent as of late. I shan't be missed."

She opened the main doors to a bright, sunny morning with a clear cloudless sky. The sun had yet to rise far above the tops of the eastward buildings, causing them to cast long shadows that still covered much of the city streets. The waif tentatively stepped out into the open, facing the half obscured rising sun as though she was testing the waters. Finding the levels of luminosity acceptable, the Chronicler headed out at a brisk pace, beckoning them to follow her.

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Heavy footsteps clunked against the ground in tune with an upbeat ditty as he hummed to himself. In his hands was a lidded cast iron skillet atop a small stack of plates. The silverware, clamped awkwardly between his fingers and the outer edge of the plates, clattered as he walked. After exiting the front of the main building, Shinjin headed towards the nearby storage shed, a small barn besides which were several large piles of items covered in tarps. They'd had to clear the squat structure out to make room for its current resident.

It would be around dawn about now, but with the casket located in a cave they wouldn't get any direct sunlight until it rose high enough to see the sun through the hole in the ceiling. With his hands full, he tapped the toe of his boot against the door to the barn, and was answered a moment later as it opened outwards.

"She behaving?" He asked Oscar, peering past him inside.

"Well enough." He shrugged.

Shinjin adjusted his grip on the plates. "Take a break. Breakfast is inside."

"Thanks, boss" He nodded appreciatively. Oscar looked back over his shoulder inside, where Umiko was sitting down on the floor, staring at their guest. "Hey. _Hey!_ Don't get too close. C'mon, let's get something to eat."

The child stood up, brushed her pants off and wordlessly obeyed. She gave Shinjin a wide berth as they made their exit, meekly avoiding his eyes. Once they were out of his way Shinjin stepped into the barn. Calling it a barn was perhaps a little generous. It was shaped much like a barn, but was more the size of a very large shed, with floor space measuring around six by eight meters. The ceiling was low enough at the right and left walls to make someone conscious of bumping their head, but quickly arched upwards into more open space.

As the mounds of loot and gear outside attested, it had been emptied out, leaving it bare, save for a long workbench table and chair against the left wall and the single wooden pillar in the center of the shed, reaching up from the floor to the smaller support beams near the ceiling. The walls and floor were simple plywood sheets. There were no windows.

"Wakey wakey~," he cheerfully singsonged, placing the pan and plates on the table, "eggs and bakey."

Chie glared back. "Where's Mamoru?"

She was sitting cross-legged on the floor, back against the support beam. Iron manacles were clamped around her wrists, connected by a length of sturdy chain that ran behind her and around the beam. The length of the chain was measured to be short enough that she could only fully extend one arm forward at a time if the other hand was held at her side. The first three fingers of both hands had been dislocated, folded against the back of her hands and secured in place with strips of adhesive, leaving only her pinkie fingers and thumbs functional. A measure to ensure she could not open her menu. They'd already been sure to empty out her inventory; the purpose was to keep her from turning off her hidden status, allowing her friends to find her on their maps. Finally, another length of chain reached around the pillar to connect to manacles around her ankles, though of a more generous length.

"Actually there isn't any bacon in this. Never really cared for it myself. All salt and grease." Shinjin opened the lid to the skillet and began scooping out portions of scrambled eggs mixed with meat onto the pair of plates he'd brought. He spoke not as if he was addressing a prisoner but an old friend. "On a related note, do you have any idea how time consuming it is to make homemade sausage in the real world? It's _so_ much easier in here, let me tell you."

"Where is Mamoru?" She repeated through gritted teeth.

"I hope you're hungry." He used the lid of the pan to fan some of the steam in her direction. "I may not look the part of the cook, but I promise you you'll enjoy this. Eggs, sausage, and my own concoction of spices to give even such a plain dish a distinct, yet subtle flavour."

"Tell me where you've taken Mamoru!" Chie demanded.

Shinjin sighed. "Relax, he's inside, unharmed. Unlike _some _people, not pointing fingers, he didn't break anyone's wrists while we were putting his cuffs on, and was deemed safe enough for more comfortable lodging indoors. You'll have to take my word on that, I don't feel like moving either of you."

He added in a more bitter tone. "Besides, thanks to you and yours we've had a couple vacancies open up."

"You'll have to forgive me if I don't weep for your loss." Chie replied acidly.

"You've certainly been much more of a hassle than I'd ever anticipated, I'll give you that." He muttered, more to himself. With plate in hand he walked over to her, holding it out to her. "Here."

She held up her nearly useless hands with a pointed glare.

"Oh, right." Shinjin placed the plate on her lap. "You think you can manage or do you need me to spoon feed you?"

Maintaining eye contact, she picked up the plate as best she could and put it on the floor to the side.

"Suit yourself," he gave a lopsided shrug, "but you'll want to eat eventually."

The chair was dragged noisily over from the table, and Shinjin sat down, crossing one leg over the other as he began to dig into his breakfast. "Can I get you anything else? Pillow to sit on, or something? Sorry, we don't usually keep prisoners long enough for this sort of thing to come up."

Chie remained silent, abstaining from the pointless demands to be set free one could usually expect to hear in such situations. Shinjin had cleared half his plate before he spoke again.

"Hmm, after all this time chasing after you, now that you're here I was hoping you might be a bit more talkative." He said around a mouthful of food, disappointed. "We do have much to discuss, after all. Was really very curious how such an upstanding lady such as yourself ended up traveling with such unsavoury characters."

His inappropriately cordial, almost flowery tone was quickly grating on her nerves. She already knew well enough why she was here and who he wanted, now that Devlin had shown her his Laughing Coffin tattoo. This left another obvious question. "Why do you want Devlin?"

Shinjin clapped his hands. "Straight to the point. Good. I take it he hasn't explained that to you yet."

"We were busy." Chie quipped bitterly.

"Fair enough." He leaned forward in his chair, gesticulating with his fork as he spoke. "Y'see, before you got involved this was all really very simple. I'll give you the short version. He was a highway bandit that got in over his head, we offered him and his little band of misfits a spot in my family, and then-"

He paused to swallow. "-_then_, he chickens out at the last minute and makes a run for it. See, we had to test them to make sure they fit in. Just an easy plunder run. Capture, rob and kill. Turns out he could only stomach the first two steps. Paradoxically, he was perfectly able to kill the entire rest of his _own _party and one of my men, as well as the hunting group I sent to take care of him after."

He scraped his fork along his plate, scooping up the last couple of bites. "It's all pretty impressive, but not something I can let him get away with."

"Wait." Chie thought a moment, scrunching her brow as she tabulated the numbers. "Counting the other members of his party, that's what, nine members of Laughing Coffin he's taken down solo? Plus the...one, two…six more you've lost chasing us?"

Shinjin's friendly smile soured. "Nine plus nine, all told."

Chie leaned her head back against the post and gave a harsh bark of mocking laughter. "_Wow_, you guys _suck_!"

"I'm so glad their deaths could amuse you." He said dryly with a sneer.

Though she was a prisoner, knowing she and Mamoru were hostages being set up for an exchange made her aware of the certain level of safety she could count on. They weren't about to kill him or her because of an unpleasant conversion. Might as well take the opportunity to get under her captors skin, both out of spite and to see how he might slip up. She shrugged, mentally calculating her reach should he get closer. "Well, at least they didn't die _completely_ in vain."

"And here I was hoping for a mature conversation, but I can see you'd rather engage in a battle of dry wits." Shinjin stood from his chair, glowering down at her. Instead of getting closer, he carried his empty plate back over to the table.

"I know quite a lot about you Chie." He said, his back still turned to her. "You're not exactly famous by any stretch of the word, but if you ask the right people the right questions you can find info on pretty much anybody, and they all give more or less the same answers about you."

Shinjin came back over, standing behind his chair and placing his hands on the back rest. "You like to help people."

He began slowly pacing back and forth. Chie remaining quiet, listening to see where exactly this was going. "If you see someone in trouble, or in danger, or someone just needs a hand, you'll selflessly volunteer. Won't even ask for payment. It's all very inspiring. Heroic, one might say. Reminds me of me some time ago."

"Oh, please." Chie rolled her eyes. "Don't tell me we're doing this whole 'we're so much alike' cliché."

"No, thankfully. We did have the major difference in that I was paid for what I did. Never was much for charity." Shinjin conceded, stopping in front of her. "Point is, the image you've crafted for yourself is that you're one of the 'good guys', ready to charge in and save the day whenever needed. Even your equipment attests to this. You named your broadsword 'Paladin', and you wear the Paragon armour set. Nice kit, by the way. Very 'knight in shining armour'."

"If this could get to wherever it's going, that'd be great."

He smirked. "You're so dedicated to playing the savior that you don't bother to stop and consider if whether or not what you think is the right thing is really the correct thing. You pick up two strays you know nothing about and look what mess you've landed yourself in."

Shinjin laughed under his breath. "But you want to know something _really_ funny? Hilarious, even. Returning to the topic of the people that have died since we've started this chase, have you given any thought to the _other_ four people you've gotten killed?"

She raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about?"

His smile widened, having gotten the desired response. "It's okay if you've forgotten. As I'm sure you're wont to do you probably thought you were doing the right thing at the time."

Shinjin let the words hang in the air, enjoying Chie's confusion. "Let me refresh your memory. You and your party had just gotten done with a quest with the help from your still new additions, and were on your way back to town to turn it in. Your pleasant forest hike took a turn when you met a familiar face, however. A boy named Zahnri. Ringing any bells? What happened next?"

Her brow furrowed as she went over the events of their first encounter with Shinjin's band of bandits. He grabbed the chair and placed it in front of him, spinning it round on one leg before sitting down and placing his forearms in front of himself on the backrest. "Well? I can fetch Mamoru if you need to phone a friend."

He waited patiently as Chie replayed that day over in her head, coming to the realization of whom he was referring to. "The other party."

Shinjin snapped his fingers. "Bingo."

She shook her head, rejecting the preposterous assertion. "You killed them. Their blood is on your hands, not mine. I was trying to warn them. To save them."

"Save them from _what_, exactly?" Shinjin leaned forward, looming like a bird of prey. "Before you answer that with the blisteringly obvious, ask yourself the same question one of them asked me: 'Why'. _Why _did I kill them?"

"Because…" Chie couldn't finish the sentence as realization struck her. At the time, they'd thought Shinjin's men were simple marauders or wandering bandits, but such was not the case.

Shinjin grinned devilishly. "Because you wanted to play the hero."

He let loose a rough guttural laugh in the back of his throat. "We were after you. Once you picked up Devlin, we were _always_ after you."

Shinjin stood from his chair again, dropping down into a squat to bring himself down to eye level with his guest. "And there it is. The realization every self-styled hero has: that actions in ignorance are not without consequences. If you would have listened to, what's her name, Haruki. If you would have just continued on your way, little boy Brodrick and his three buddies would still be alive."

"Instead, you made us have to adapt our plans. We couldn't have you seeking strength in numbers, so we cut them out of the equation." He stood back up to his full height. "You brought them into this, I only removed them."

"There was no way I could have known." She contested, her voice betraying a measure of guilt.

"Now you do, and knowing is half the battle." Shinjin said, taking a mock sympathetic tone. "I'm sorry, are you no longer enjoying this little back and forth? That's unfortunate. I was wanting to talk about the strange irony in Paladin Chie taking someone with such a penchant for wanton violence as a traveling companion. I swear, he must have so much blood on his hands I'm surprised he doesn't leave a drizzling trail behind him."

"Bullshit." Chie spat. "You said yourself Devlin refused your murder test."

"Oh, he's plenty guilty, but I wasn't talking about him." Shinjin corrected. "Remember, you took on two strays. An ex-raider, and a Bloodhound. What's he calling himself now? Taki? Tiki?"

"Taiki." Chie said.

"Yeah, him." His warm paternal smile returned, but he made no effort to make it appear genuine. "I've never met him or spoke with his lot directly, but I've seen him plenty of times. We used to frequent the same bar up on the thirty eighth floor. A popular dive called the Thirty Eight Special. Place was situated right outside the town walls so anyone that took a hit to their icon could have somewhere to wait things out in relative safety. I'd hang out there back when I was mercenary looking for prospects, and I'm guessing his pack liked to gather there between hunts, not that they were welcome. I'm curious, what do you think of the Taiki you know?"

Chie sat up straight and raised her chin. "He's a good man. He's kind. Naïve, but he learns fast. Strong, but always careful to hold back. I don't care what you have to say about him, he's a good friend."

"You have no idea how strange it is to hear that." Shinjin said with an amused shake of his head. "Let me tell you the story of the first time I ever saw your pet Hound. It was in the Thirty Eight. I'd just gotten done with an escort job and was taking the day sitting back and relaxing, and on the other end of the bar is the biggest man I'd ever seen getting into it with this guy more than a foot shorter than him. Guess he didn't like the way he was eyeing his lady friend. Some bottle blonde."

"Anyways, the other guy shoves a finger in his face, telling him to back off, saying he doesn't want any trouble but he'll being it if he needs to. All bluff and bravado, you could tell he was terrified of him." Shinjin pantomimed the motion. "Kinda funny looking, seeing the guy had to reach up to do it. Anyway, you know what your Hound did?"

Chie said nothing.

"He snapped his head forward, and bit his finger off." Shinjin bared his teeth and clicked them together in punctuation. "Come to think of it, I don't remember if he spat it out or not. Then he nearly killed him. Only reason he didn't was because his buddies got between them."

He rolled back on his feet, dropping from his squat into a more comfortable sitting position on the floor. "I know you've been trying to investigate who your friend is. Like I said, you can find info on anybody if you ask the right people. Well, I just so happen to be one of those people, so now I'm going to tell you _everything_ I know about the Bloodhounds."

* * *

Author's Notes: Shorter chapter than intended, but if I'd continued past the cut it might have been too long. Not a great deal happening this chapter, but a preamble to some history.

As always, thanks for reading.


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